Olympian One Offs
by BonesBoy15
Summary: A bunch of oneshots that have potential to be more! Naruto as the son of (INSERT OLYMPIAN HERE)! Multiple pairings, some non-ninja Naruto, some smart!Naruto, and some new Naruto! It's our favorite orange clad ninja facing the multiverse with different origins. Rated M for language and suggestive dialogue.
1. Ramen Addicted Rationalist

**AN: Hey, hey, hey! It's Bonesboy15 with a new fic, isn't that wonderful? ...No? Well, seems like I've got some splainin to do, so pop a squat and shut your trap. This story is the first of several one-offs I've thought up that could have the potential to be their own stories if I so decide, like Pilot episodes of television shows.**

**If they do well, then maybe you'll get to see another season. If not, then this'll be it.**

**So enough of my chatter, let's get this show on the road!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Ramen Addicted Rationalist**

* * *

"_For those just tuning in, it's ten in the morning on June 1__st__, 2006. And now we turn to our weatherman Sharon Storm. Sharon, please tell me it's going to be a beautiful day today?_"

"_Sorry, Steve, but we've got thunderstorms not only expected later today, but for the rest of the week!_"

Click.

"–_You can't just say things like that, Bones._"

Click.

" –_Wabbit season!_"

Click.

" –_I don't know, what's a motto with –_"

Click.

The television screen went blank and the thumb that had been pressing down on the remote's channel button hovered while the owner watched the black screen. A blue line spread across the television and began to move when an obviously disguised voice came through the speakers along with "Stars and Stripes Forever" playing in the background.

"_Citizens of these United States of America._" The couch creaked as the television viewer set the remote down next to him and leaned forward. "_You have been lied to. Your government – the people you chose to lead and protect you, who you should trust without a shadow of a doubt – has been and continues to this very moment to lie to you._"

Fingertips steepled together as glaucous eyes narrowed on the screen. "So...you chose to make a move today? Interesting."

"_Black operations continue to occur in several 'friendly' allied countries. Terrorist cells given leeway when bargaining with our intelligence agencies. United States citizens being spied upon, every call monitored, every credit card charge checked. Your president boldly lies to you about what he knows and is even kept out of the loop to ensure he doesn't prevent 'unconfirmed' acts of war._"

"No duh." Scoffed the viewer. He sat back and grabbed a small cell phone riddled with scratches, bite marks and even a red stain on the back. As his thumb glided over the phone's keypad, he snorted. "I'm going to enjoy sending you to prison, Mr. Adam Mitchell."

"_These are not acts of freedom. They are not acts promoting democracy. These are acts of terrorism, to keep the world under the United States' control. Well, I won't have any more of it. There are four bombs–_"

"–In New York City, yadda, yadda, yadda..." The television viewer sat back and held his phone to his ear. "You there? Good. Listen _very_ carefully to what I have to say. There are _no_ bombs. Yes, I'm sure. Send the police to a complex with a store at the base, a Pete's Pawn Shop, third floor, fifth room down the hall on the _right_. Room 305, the zero is gone; he'll be on the toilet with an Alienware laptop. Alienware. Yes, it's a thing. Just look for the idiot on the toilet."

He hung up his phone and set it down next to him as he looked back at the television. "They better catch this idiot. I practically gift wrapped him for them."

"_If the US government does not pay me and reveal the requested retracted documents, then you, the people that are lied to, will suffer for it._"

"Okay, that was pretty clever," the television viewer said with a smirk. He sat back and looked at his wrist, where a gray watch was strapped. "And in...Five minutes, I'll get to prove that I'm more clever."

The television screen went black once again and the viewer shook his head as a newscaster tried to recover from the sudden hijacking of his airtime. A hand went up to scratch the back of his short honey blond hair covered head. The television viewer got up at the sound of a beeping and walked over to his stove in his studio apartment. His hand went to the dial and he turned off the stove. He poured the contents of his pot into bowl and grinned as the steam rose up into his face.

"Hello, noodles of Inari."

There was a knock at the door and he turned to it with a grimace on his face. He looked back at his bowl and then to the door. With a frustrated growl, he moved his bowl into his microwave and then walked over to the door to open it.

A man wearing a black suit stood on the other side of the door. His hair ended at his shoulders and was black like a raven's feathers. His face narrow and strong while his blood red eyes had a hardened warlike gaze in them.

"You interrupted my noodle time, Sasuke."

A dark brow on Sasuke's face arched up. "You're practically naked, Naruto."

Naruto looked down past his defined abdominal muscles to his boxers and then looked back up at Sasuke. "...It's my apartment, there's no law against being naked in my own home is there _Special_ Agent Uchiha?"

"You love to take shots at me after I get promoted, don't you?" Sasuke snorted and walked into the apartment, brushing past Naruto as he did. He shoved blankets off of the couch and plopped down on it, his eyes on the news while Naruto went back to his microwave. "So, how'd you know where to find Soundwave? I don't have to book you again for being an accomplice, do I?"

"That was _one_ time...and it wasn't like the charges stuck." Naruto rolled his eyes as he stirred his ramen with orange chopsticks. Naruto captured a few noodles with his utensils and brought them up to his mouth to slurp them down. With a blissful sigh, Naruto walked over and sat down on the other end of the couch. "Alright, I know who he was, because the idiot pulled a similar stunt on his principal when he was in high school. He never changed his 'name' then, nor did he change his password after he graduated. I knew he'd be on the toilet because there are few people in the country who don't feel secure when they're on the john. I knew he'd use his laptop because I had an old acquaintance of mine from the NSA pull some records."

Sasuke blinked and furrowed his brows. "How did you know _who_ he was though?"

"Stumbled across this plan on a private investigation a week ago. Wasn't supposed to happen until the Fourth, give it 'significance'." Naruto rolled his eyes and slurped down more ramen. "As though a bomb threat wouldn't make it memorable."

"Threats are easily forgotten."

"Yeah, I know. Still, the kid wanted to 'inform the people'." Naruto scoffed and put more ramen in his mouth. "The people do have a right to know, but that doesn't mean they want to, let alone are ready to. There are some things that are still too dark for the public to learn."

"...You know, if I wasn't sure you knew the code to my life savings and the checking account for my fiancé's wedding, I'd have a warrant and I'd be looking into your so-called contacts." Sasuke noted as he looked around the small apartment. "Why do you still live here?"

Naruto looked at him with noodles hanging out of his mouth. He slurped them up and shrugged. "It's comfortable, functional and affordable-."

"Your father is a _millionaire_." Sasuke drawled with a pointed look. "You could be in the penthouse suite of the Baxter Building."

"That's not a real building. Doesn't count." Naruto lifted his bowl up to his mouth and slurped down the broth, which made Sasuke cringe in disgust. He lowered the bowl and sighed happily. "Oh, Olympus that's so good...And just because Dad has money, doesn't mean I want to use it. That's his."

"Still got daddy issues?"

Naruto glared at the smirking boy. "You know, if I killed you right now, I could proclaim _and_ make it look like it was in self defense."

"Yeah, but you won't." Sasuke chuckled and dusted his pants off as the news came to an end. "I let you finish your ramen out of courtesy and our friendship. C'mon, I've got a job for you."

Naruto grimaced and set his bowl on the table beside him. "A _job_? You make me sound like a mercenary. Call them cases, please."

"You're good, but you're not that good." Sasuke walked over to the door. "Get dressed, you've got five minutes before I call a judge to get a warrant."

"...You'd do it anyway just for the hell of it." Naruto frowned. Sasuke stopped, turned around with a smirk on his face and reached into his jacket. He pulled a folded up piece of paper out and dropped it on the table beside the door. Naruto glared at him. "Don't just drop it there, it'll get lost in the mess! Misplacing a federal warrant is a federal crime, you know!"

"That wouldn't happen if you found someone to be the next Mrs. Namikaze to tidy the place up." Sasuke shut the door behind him as he walked out.

"Sexist bastard." Naruto snorted and kicked the trunk that was repurposed into a coffee table. The lid opened and the papers that were sprawled across it slid to the floor. As Naruto rummaged through his clothes hidden within the trunk, he recalled Sasuke's words and rolled his eyes. "I don't need to _find_ anyone since you, Kushina and Dad keep trying to hook me up with random girls."

* * *

"How can you listen to this guy rant and rave about capitalism like it's been sent from the gods?" Naruto asked as he reached for the radio dial, to turn off the raving John O'Malley. Sasuke, without taking his eyes off the road, reached over and slapped his hand. Naruto recoiled with a grimace. "Ow! Ass."

"Driver rights: I control the radio. Unwritten law of courtesy when being a passenger in another's car," Sasuke said. He spared a glance over at his friend and shook his head. "Those are the best clothes you could find?"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Naruto frowned. He was dressed comfortably in faded and possibly used jeans, brown leather sandals, and an orange shirt with a cooked pie slice pulled back and various math symbols pouring out of it. Over his shirt was a brown leather jacket that fit to his build perfectly.

"You look like a child that just rolled out of bed."

Naruto looked at Sasuke like he'd grown a second head. "I'm twenty-two!"

"I'm barely older than you are and I'm dressed professionally," Sasuke said. "When you're being leased out by the FBI–"

"First of all, I'm not employed by the FBI, I work _alongside_ the FBI, Special Agent Uchiha." Naruto corrected sternly. He drew his hand over his shirt. "Secondly, these are the clothes of a modern college student, which I am–!"

"Online!" Sasuke glared at him. "You could get through any college class with ease, but you don't because you are without a doubt the laziest bastard I've ever met!"

Naruto pursed his lips for a moment and afterwards nodded as he conceded to that fact. He still crossed his arms and slumped down in his seat. "I don't see why you're so mad."

Sasuke turned to him when they stopped at a red light. "You are purposely dragging your feet, Naruto. You know that the _second_ you graduate from college, your name and your doctorate will wind you up as prime material to receive praise from your mother. She'll send you the coin."

"She's not going to send me 'the coin'," Naruto said with a roll of his eyes. "And the reason I've been 'dragging my feet' is because I'm waiting for today's technology to catch up with my father's work, so that my theoretical studies and equations can be made practical and I can actually do some good for the planet."

"Yeah, sure..." Sasuke looked away as the light changed. They drove in silence for a moment before Naruto smirked and looked at Sasuke.

"Kushina put you up to that, didn't she?"

"...She blackmailed me. Threatened to help my fiancé pick a wedding date." Sasuke grumbled. He tapped the phone set on the dash and it turned off. "Speaker was on."

"Ah, you played a CD to hide the background noise on her end. Very clever, Special Agent Uchiha," Naruto said with a chuckle. He relaxed in his seat with a smile on his face and glanced out the window. He blinked when they passed a street sign that he hadn't gone past in several years. "Where _exactly_ is this case?"

Sasuke shifted slightly in his seat. "Just a bit outside the city."

Naruto swiveled back to glare at Sasuke. "Outside the city...where?"

"Look, don't worry about it. Why don't you recline the seat and take a quick nap? Keep that freaky mind of yours nice and rested for the case, Sherlock." Sasuke gave his friend a small grin and turned back to the road. Naruto didn't blink. His glaucous eyes narrowed suspiciously and an intimidating glare was locked on his friend.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke made the mistake of looking at his blond friend. He looked back at the road and had to slam on the breaks to keep from rear-ending the car in front of him. He glanced back at Naruto. "It's just a small job."

"...I've got another case I'm already working on." Naruto sat back and looked at the road as the light turned green. "You can take me home."

"That is bullshit and we both know it." Sasuke's red eyes gained a rare pleading gleam. "Just take a look at it."

"I don't want anything to do with that place. They're outdated, foolish, and hormonal children. Not to mention the notion of heroism is completely irrational," Naruto scoffed. "Look at yourself. You dropped out of high school and enlisted to be a hero. Now you suffer from PTSD, which has caused you to delay your own wedding out of fear that your own wife-to-be would be put in danger or her heart would be crushed by your own demise."

"That's not the point."

"Not to mention their own stupidity when it comes to the words 'good' and 'evil'."

"It's for Chiron, Naruto!" Sasuke cut his friend off with a frustrated yell. Naruto turned to look at him and Sasuke exhaled sharply as he relaxed his grip on the wheel. "He's calling in his one request. Something's happened."

Naruto frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what you know."

* * *

Naruto slammed the passenger door shut and walked up to the archway that hung over the dirt road that led into the strawberry fields. He looked across the hood of the car at Sasuke. "I hate you."

"I'm a Federal agent. You hating me means I'm doing my job." Sasuke nodded towards the dirt road. "Get walkin', Owl-head."

Naruto shook his head. "Cabin Five has the _worst_ insults for people."

It was a shorter walk than he remembered, most likely due to his growth over the years. He remembered the first time his Dad and stepmother dropped him off. He was fourteen at the time and had just fought off his first monster, a Cyclops. It was a stupid thing, easily tricked to ripping out its own eye with its hand to prove that there was a large brain behind it.

Of course, his father had to tell him about his mother and Kushina started to look up various bodyguards, all of whom Naruto dispatched of with ease – though he was a bit short on his inheritance now due to the hospital bills his father made him pay. What? He was a master at short staff and was a much smarter fighter. He didn't need some ex-Jarhead to protect him.

"Oh shit."

Sasuke's hushed exclamation made Naruto glance at him and then back at the object his friend's red eyes were locked on. Thalia's Pine, the source of the protective barrier around the area, stood tall at the top of Halfblood Hill...but it was not proud by a long shot.

"Look at the rot on the bark." Naruto observed as he drew closer. He rushed ahead and began to inspect the pine. He crouched down to the base with an intrigued hum. Naruto pointed at the base and looked to Sasuke. "There, see that?"

"What? The dirt?" Sasuke asked, disinterestedly. "C'mon, we have to meet Chiron."

"Not yet. Open your eyes. Observe. Be the sniper you were trained to be," Naruto said. He pointed insistently at the base. "Do you see it?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and crouched down next to his friend. Red eyes scanned the grass and bark, but before he was about to dismiss the scene, he noticed something. "The roots aren't visible."

"Exactly," Naruto said. He put his hand on the bark and easily chipped some away. "This pine is rotting, dying as it were, but like all living things, it's trying to prolong its life by sending its roots deeper to get more nutrients. This causes the tree's base to sink into the ground, but the rot is being noticed. Look here, nature's workers are already starting to make a home."

Sasuke watched a few ants scurry out of the hole in the tree and frowned. "What does this mean?"

"That things are a lot worse than what you've told me. Frankly, I'm surprised I wasn't brought in the barrier was brought down. It's offensive, actually." Naruto pursed his lips.

"Well, I didn't want to risk you saying no."

The two young men looked up at the sound of the voice. A creature with the body of a white stallion walked up to them. From where his neck would be was a human torso, dressed smartly like a professor, but with a quiver and bow on his back. By the appearance of the man's face he could easily be mistaken for a middle-aged man. He had dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard.

"Chiron," Sasuke said as he stood up.

Chiron gave him a small smile. "Mr. Uchiha."

"He goes by _Special Agent_ Uchiha, actually," Naruto said. He stood and gave the centaur a look from the corner of his eyes before he looked back at the tree. "How long ago did the barrier fall?"

"A week ago," Chiron said. "The year round campers have been holding their own well enough, but the gods are furious."

"Yes, I'd think Zeus would be rather upset at the poisoning of his daughter's pine," Naruto said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Mr. Namikaze, cell phones are not allowed-"

"I'm well over your limits of authority, Chiron," Naruto said with a small glare. He looked back at his phone and proceeded to take several pictures with it. He pocketed his phone and looked to Sasuke. "You should go talk to some of Demeter's children as well as Mr. D, find out what he's been doing about this."

Sasuke grimaced. "Do I have to?"

"You're the G-Man, Sasuke," Naruto said. He put a hand on his chest and smirked. "I'm just a consultant."

"I was told you were a private investigator," Chiron said, his brows furrowed.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "A gross understatement. That would imply I dig through trash, stalk people, spy, and plant evidence."

Sasuke's eyes twinkled and he smirked. "You do all of those things."

"Don't you have a god to interrogate?"

Sasuke's smirk fell and he glowered at the blond. "I hate you."

"I'm a consultant, you hating me means I'm doing my job," Naruto said with a smirk. The two's eyes met, both locked in a silent battle of will for several minutes. Naruto's smirk widened slightly and Sasuke growled before he shoved past the blond.

Chiron chuckled as Sasuke grumbled under his breath while he walked towards the camp. The centaur turned to Naruto and gave him a small smile. "I cannot express how grateful I am that you came, Naruto. The Camp-"

"I'm not here for the camp, Chiron." Naruto looked the centaur in the eyes, a frown on his face. "You're taking the fall for something that isn't your fault."

"Lord Zeus' anger-"

"Look, I know that'll appease the kiddies in their cabins, but being the noble dying teacher is not going to work. Without you, there is no reason for Camp Half-Blood to exist." Chiron looked ready to protest, but Naruto held his hand up. "Save it. You died once already for Prometheus. We can't afford you dying again."

Chiron blinked and a smile spread across his face. "...That's certainly the most affectionate thing you've ever said to me."

Naruto rolled his eyes and waved the centaur off. "Affection nothing. It's only logical to keep the best trainer around to ensure the survival of any future progenies of the gods. If anyone should recognize that, it's Zeus. Oath on the Styx be damned."

"You should watch what you say," Chiron warned as they started to walk into camp. "The gods are-"

"Fallible. Illogical. More human than they would like to admit." Naruto chuckled lightly as he slipped his hands into his jacket's pockets. "Hera gets _jealous_? Artemis _hates_ men? Zeus becomes _angry_ when his daughter is killed, implying he _loved_ her? Ares _enjoys_ slaughter and warfare?"

"What are you saying, Naruto?" Chiron asked, intrigued and a bit unnerved. The sky seemed a bit darker than it was before.

"Don't play dumb, Chiron. You suck at it." Naruto snorted. "The gods have become complacent with their status as hidden, they've assimilated into humanity, even if they try to keep themselves high and mighty, distant from us. Personally, I think it all started when Zeus ate Metis, he let paranoia – fear – overrule his judgment, which as King, should be infallible."

"So you believe the gods of Olympus are...human?"

"Why do you insist on having me repeat myself? Yes, the gods today are no better than humanity. In fact, I would daresay their reactivity has made them worse for the planet," Naruto said. The sky rumbled and he rolled his eyes. "From a logical standpoint, I'm not wrong. Zap me if you want, you won't make me change my mind."

"You certainly enjoy tempting him," Chiron said.

Naruto reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver necklace of a multi-armed human. "Do you know what this is? This is a representation of an Asura, an anti-god. The Asuras became proud and vain, believing themselves above ancient law and were called evil for their acts. Their relatives, the Devas, took it upon themselves to keep the Asuras from influencing mankind through endless war."

"Very interesting, but why are you wearing a symbol of evil?" Chiron asked.

"It's not evil." Naruto looked at the necklace before he tucked it back into his shirt. "The idea of 'good' and 'evil' are inventions of mankind, created to define what is helpful to survival and what is not. If the Asuras were never labeled as evil, perhaps humanity wouldn't have made it as long as they did. Or, perhaps the Asuras became too involved with the endless war and we never learned their true reason for seeking out information."

"You still didn't tell me why you wear it," Chiron pointed out.

Naruto shrugged and slipped his hands back into his pockets. "The Asuras weren't afraid to investigate what had been deemed holy and forbidden. Granted it was to increase their own power, but they stood together, seeking out answers whereas closed minded Devas remained within the bounds of the laws, afraid to explore."

"Ah...The Asura had a desire to expand their knowledge without fear of punishment...they were straightforward and honest with their desires. Basically, they were six-armed, immortal versions of you," Chiron deduced.

Naruto smirked at the centaur. "Of course."

Chiron shook his head and nodded towards a cabin off to the side. "Perhaps you should drop in and say hello?"

"Pass." Naruto grimaced and walked briskly past the grey building with an owl above the door. "C'mon, I want to see Sasuke sweat while he tries to interrogate Mr. D."

"You are a horrible person."

"I'm part human, what did you expect? Besides, I need to get back at him somehow."

* * *

"And furthermore, _Mr_. Chi-cha, if I so much as _hear_ you insinuate my sons had _anything_ to do with the sudden increase in – Chiron! Finally, would you tell this blasted brat to get out of my face?" A portly man turned away from the annoyed Sasuke to face the centaur as he entered the big house. His eyes landed on the blond that was looking around the living room. "You?"

Naruto lifted his hand up in greeting with a hapless smile on his face. "Hello, Mr. D. Sasuke, did you get anything from him?"

"I told him I was investigating on behalf of the FBI and he went all psycho-paranoid on me," Sasuke said with a glower. He walked over to Naruto and punched him in the shoulder. "That was for sending me to the wolves–"

"Do I look like Artemis to you, Sanjay?"

"You dick." Sasuke finished despite Mr. D's interruption.

Naruto just continued to smile while he rubbed his arm. "This is why you run cases by me before you put me in your car."

"I had a warrant for you to come with me!"

"Written and authorized by your mother," Naruto said as he reached into his back pocket and unfolded the paper. He hummed as he pretended to look at it closely. "She also wants me to convince you to pick a date for your wedding."

Sasuke's nostrils flared and he snatched the paper out of Naruto's hands. His red eyes scanned the words before his cheeks began to match his eyes. He crumpled the warrant in his hand and stormed out, grumbling under his breath as he did.

Naruto watched him leave before he turned back to the two heads of the camp with a wide smile on his face. "I love doing that."

"Hm, not bad. You seem to have gotten more tolerable," Mr. D said as he made a can of Diet Coke appear out of thin air. "Why are you back?"

Naruto glanced at Chiron and then looked back at Mr. D. "It's a favor."

"Hm...Shrewd, Chiron. Very shrewd," Mr. D said with a smirk. He plopped down in a chair and relaxed. "So, are you going to try and beg me to let Chiron stay? You'd be the...fourth returnee to do so. I had the other three scampering off to the woods after I turned them into sniveling weasels. Had to change them back, though...I wonder how Athena will react to you being a new barn owl."

"Mr. D!" Chiron gave the god a disappointing frown.

Mr. D rolled his eyes and held up two fingers. "You have two minutes."

Naruto looked at Chiron, who shrugged, and then looked back to Mr. D, his hands "Very well, I'll be blunt then. The poisoning wasn't Chiron's fault."

Mr. D arched a brow. "That was quick. And how are you so sure?"

"Chiron was most likely within the Big House or the barrier when it went down," Naruto said. "The barrier source was pierced by celestial metal, a bronze blade to be precise. Easily obtainable here...or at any grown demigod's home. The poisoner never went into the camp, they didn't have to. He or she was familiar with the source of the defensive barrier."

"Monsters are too dumb to sniff around, Mr. D wards them off," Chiron said, his arms crossed. "So how would they know the security?"

"You say that like humans can't be monsters as well," Naruto pointed out.

"Score one for the brain baby," Mr. D said with a smirk. He took a sip of his Diet Coke.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded to the god and then crossed his arms. "I believe our poisoner had an informant."

"A traitor? Hm, perhaps I can persuade their parent to let me punish them," Dionysus said with a smirk.

"What if it was Castor or Pollux?" Naruto asked. He didn't flinch as Mr. D glared at him, but he did shrug. "It's possible. Being with daddy for every day of the year while he spouts hate at demigods, causing confusion when he shows them love."

"I don't like your insinuations, Mr. Name Kanji," Mr. D said with a warning tone.

"I'm just giving a plausible motive, Mr. D, I wasn't stating the facts." Naruto placated. "I'm sure the twins haven't done anything more than simple breaking and entering while on their vacations to visit their maternal grandmother."

"...Are you stalking my sons?" Mr. D's face started to turn purple.

"The point, Mr. D, is that any camper of _all_ cabins is a suspect." Naruto elaborated. That seemed to calm the god as his face returned to normal. "Now, Sasuke told me there was an incident last summer?"

Mr. D huffed and looked at Chiron. "Was there?"

"Yes, Mr. D." Chiron sighed. "Before he left, Percy Jackson –"

"Son of Poseidon, aged twelve, son of Sally Jackson, a woman who works at Sweet on America and attends nightly college classes. Recently, she came into some money when a likeness of her missing husband Gabe Ugliano was sold. She's notably well known and liked by her co-workers and loves her son." Naruto interrupted. The two older men stared at him and Naruto shrugged. "Missing persons case, I was intrigued. I might have lost some very sensitive information on the case though. After all, who cares about what happens to a gambling addict that drinks cheap alcohol and abuses his wife?"

"...Well, despite your rude assumption about my sons, I think I'm starting to like you," Mr. D said with a wry smirk. He sat back and looked at his can of Diet Coke. "I'm sure Poseidon will be very grateful that Ms. Jackson won't be bothered by this Gabe fellow anymore. Aphrodite says he still loves the woman."

Naruto gave Chiron an "I told you so" look.

Chiron ignored the look and continued. "Yes, well, Percy Jackson was attacked and poisoned by one of the former counselors."

"Former counselor? What cabin?" Naruto asked.

"Lincoln Cat Scan," Mr. D said with a nod.

"Luke Castellan." Chiron corrected with a shake of his head.

"That's what I said."

Naruto rubbed his chin and began to pace. "Really? ...Interesting. He's gone, then?"

"Yes, Percy was poisoned by a pit scorpion and decided–"

"No, no, I don't care about him." Naruto waved off the centaur. "Luke Castellan...I knew something was wrong with him after his quest. I _knew_. I should've jumped on it then. Perhaps then I wouldn't have gotten that letter."

"Letter?" Chiron asked.

Naruto looked up. "You mean, you haven't heard?"

Chiron frowned. "Heard what?"

"Spit it out so I can shoo you away!" Mr. D demanded.

Naruto hummed and went to the wall of the Big House and stared at a picture of a blond boy, a blonde girl, and a satyr seated next to the poisoned tree. "Someone is recruiting demigods for an army." He looked at Chiron and Mr. D before he turned back to the picture, focusing on the smiling boy. "And I think I know who it is."

* * *

"This makes no sense at all," Chiron said as he followed Naruto out of the Big House. "I mean, I know Luke Castellan. He was happy! He loved camp!"

"He's a son of Hermes, lying is in the blood," Naruto said as he made his way towards the cabin of the god in question. "Are you telling me you didn't believe Percy Jackson?"

Chiron looked slightly ashamed. "Well...I hoped it to be a practical joke gone wrong. You know how some children of Hermes get."

"Point taken. However, you let your fondness of the 'experienced' demigod cloud your judgment. What is it with Greek judgment being so easily misled?" Naruto asked with a frown, pursing his lips and wondering if he'd made similar mistakes.

"Please, Naruto, watch your words," Chiron said with a sigh. He looked at his watch. "I have to go, I have an archery class to teach."

Naruto stopped and looked at the centaur. "Chiron, I'm not blaming you for this. You shouldn't either. Luke was very charismatic when I knew him, I can only assume that it grew along with him. He talked me into helping him cheat on one of your history tests once."

"...I always wondered why he got that A plus..." Chiron frowned. He sighed and shook his head. "Well, if I wasn't going to be fired before, I certainly am now. Only this time, Poseidon will be backing his brother's decision."

Naruto frowned. "You're afraid of losing this job? Speak up for yourself, Zeus will listen to you if you explain yourself."

"And let his wrath fall on these campers? On a boy that is misguided? No, Naruto...I won't let that happen. Even if I am afraid of the outcome." Chiron said firmly.

"Fear is a necessary evil Pandora released on Man. It is said that the gods released it to curse mankind, to punish them." Naruto turned and resumed his trek towards Hermes' Cabin. "I believe it was done to ensure they survived, by any means necessary."

"...Thank you for your words of support, Mr. Namikaze." Chiron nodded and turned to go to his lesson.

* * *

Naruto looked up at the cabin. It hadn't change since his last time at camp, which didn't bode well for the occupants within. He was annoyed by the sounds of chatter that he could hear from outside and sighed. Naruto knocked on the cabin door. "Counselor, I'm here on request from Chiron. Open up."

The chatter got louder, which made Naruto shift slightly in annoyance. He looked up, counted down from ten, and then knocked on the door. "I'm only going to ask one more time, please open the door!"

The noise amazingly got louder and Naruto looked up at the sky. "Hermes, I hope you realize that while I do condone lying, I don't condone poisoning. So..." He kicked the cabin door open and all noise stopped. Kids, a good few mischievously grinning at him, looked from all bunks. Naruto arched a brow. "Oh, it's all fun and games until you're obstructing justice. I'm with the FBI."

"Yeah right," one kid said with a disbelieving snort, turning back to his card game. "Hit me."

"He's not lying!" Naruto looked over at Sasuke as he walked up the cabin steps. Sasuke gave Naruto a frown. "What have I said about kicking down doors?"

"It's fun and to let you do it?" Naruto returned. Sasuke continued to frown and Naruto rolled his eyes before he pointed into the cabin. "Show them the badge."

Sasuke reached into his jacket and pulled out his badge, letting it fall open. That made all the grins fall. Two identical teenage boys' eyes widened considerably and they rushed the door. Naruto and Sasuke stopped them by holding their arms out, making them grunt and fall to the ground. Naruto and Sasuke kept them pinned with their feet on the boys' chests.

"We didn't do it!" One of the boys cried out.

"It was just one radio!" The other exclaimed.

"Maybe some CDs!"

"It was only a few hundred dollars!"

"Conner was the one who came up with the idea!"

"Travis was the one who picked the lock!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Sasuke asked.

The two teenagers looked at each other and then back at the older men. The one that first spoke gave Naruto and Sasuke a suspicious look. "You're not here about the apartment break in on Twenty-Fourth Street?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "I told you that was a two man job."

"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke rolled his eyes. He looked at the two. "So, who are you supposed to be?"

The one with a loose mouth was shut up by the other's hand. "We know our rights! We don't have to talk to you if we don't want to or without a lawyer."

"We're not here to arrest anyone," Naruto said. Sasuke frowned at him and he shrugged. "Honor amongst thieves, it's only logical to let them know that we're here for information only."

"Information?" That made the one teen covering the other's mouth asked. "What do we get out of it?"

"How about not getting arrested for admitting to breaking and entering, theft, and assaulting a federal agent?" Sasuke asked.

"We didn't admit to anything!"

"You alluded to breaking into the apartment." Naruto pointed out. He looked at the other kids, who were watching the scene with interest and then back down at the two. "And you admitted to stealing one radio, several CDs, money...who knows what else?"

"What about assaulting a federal agent?" the boy asked with a frown.

Sasuke looked to Naruto as he held his arm and rolled his shoulder. "I don't know, Naruto, do you think it was dislocated?"

"Could've been, but I'm not a osteologist." Naruto shrugged. "Never found it interesting."

Sasuke tilted his head. "I thought you liked _Bones_."

"The murders are interesting, the science of bone study is not. And besides..." Naruto shrugged again. "Emily Deschanel is hot."

Sasuke nodded. "That's true."

"...Okay, we'll talk...Can we get up now?"

"Not yet. Names. Don't play with me either." Sasuke's red eyes glared into the boys' blue ones. "...Well?"

"I'm Travis Stoll, and this is my brother Conner," Travis said as he pulled his hand off of Conner's mouth.

"For the record, Travis ran into you."

"Dude!"

"What? I'm not taking the fall for you."

"Oh, so glad to see how much I'm loved. My own brother, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Boys?" Sasuke had them looking back up at him. "About that information?"

"What do you want to know?" Conner asked. He looked at the sandal on his foot and looked up at Naruto. "Wow, pedicure much?"

"Good hygiene goes a long way." Naruto lifted his foot off of the boy and Sasuke did the same for his Stoll. "Tell us about Luke Castellan."

"Why?" Travis asked, both boys still intimidated by the FBI agent.

"We think he may have something to do with the barrier being down," Naruto said.

"Hey, whoa, Luke's not blood, but he's still a brother. You've got to up the ante a bit to make us talk," Conner said. He gasped as the foot slammed back down on his chest. Hard. A few kids made to get up, but Sasuke deterred them by opening his jacket and showing the uncapped nine millimeter strapped to his hip.

Conner gasped again when Naruto started to grind his heel into his chest. "Point taken! Please get off!"

"I knew you'd see it my way," Naruto said as he lifted his foot off of Conner's chest once more. "When's the last time you saw Luke?"

"Last summer?" Travis looked at Conner, who nodded in agreement. They looked back up at the older demigods. "Yeah, he's been off the radar since then. We got a letter, but it didn't mean anything. Just invited us to a yacht he...found."

"Found? Right...Where was this yacht?" Sasuke asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a notebook and pen.

"Uh, our letter said to go to the coast of South Carolina," Conner said. He and Travis got off the ground. "Anything else?"

"Who was Luke particularly close to?" Naruto asked. "Anyone he spoke with a lot? Girlfriends? Boyfriends?"

Travis and Conner curled their upper lips along with many other boys in the room. Even Sasuke gave Naruto an odd look. Naruto looked around and arched a brow.

"What? The Greeks have been practicing same-gender intercourse well since time began. Apollo and Zephyrus are two well known practitioners from the pantheon, so I don't see why it wouldn't be prudent to ask," Naruto said.

"...O...Kay...I stopped listening after intercourse." Travis admitted. He gave Naruto an odd look before he looked at Sasuke. "I don't know about any girlfriends, but he talked to Annabeth Chase a lot, and I think Silena Beauregard had a crush on him."

"What? Oh, man, not Silena," Conner groaned. "Figures, pretty boys get all the chicks."

Sasuke smirked as he wrote down the names. "Yeah, yeah we do."

"And a lot of guys." Naruto smirked at the glare Sasuke gave him. "What?"

Travis and Conner took a step back from the special agent, who continued to glare at his consultant and friend.

"...I hate you so much."

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever." He looked at the boys. "So, what cabin?"

"Annabeth's–"

Naruto held a hand up. "I know that one. Where's Silena?"

"...How do you know Annabeth but not Silena?" Conner asked as he gave Naruto a look like he had just sprouted another head. "Seriously? When did you come here?"

"Stopped coming to camp when I was sixteen."

"...How old are you?"

"Beauregard. Location. Give it." Sasuke grunted.

"Cabin Ten. She's the counselor, can't miss her," Travis said.

"Thank you." Naruto turned and stuffed his hands in his pockets, prepared to leave. After Sasuke stepped out, Naruto stopped and turned back to the boys. "Oh, and...you might want to get the door hinges fixed."

* * *

Naruto grunted as he and Sasuke walked to the pink cabin across the way. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" Sasuke asked.

"Thinking. It's loud and annoying."

"You're not concerned about speaking to her?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I met my cabin's new counselor. Clarisse. Tough girl, worked hard putting watch shifts together. Could be a good Ranger if she ever went into the service," Sasuke said. "It helps to get to know the next generation–"

"My mother's head counselor is nearly half my age and has only obtained that right because of her so-called experience." Naruto interrupted with a grimace on his face. "She's smart, I will admit that, and she either got _very_ lucky or divine intervention to bring her to her group. She's also extremely proud. Her Fatal Flaw is undoubtedly hubris. She refuses to listen to reason, even when she knows it's the smartest thing to do, because of some sense of morality."

"Don't you have morals you live by?" Sasuke asked.

"That's different. She is a child and refuses the advice of someone older, who has seen the world for what it is," Naruto said. He shook his head as they approached the cabin of Aphrodite's children. "Annabeth Chase may be smart when it comes to the world of Greek demigods, but she is an utter fool when it comes to the real world."

"Depends on your definition of the real world," Sasuke said.

Naruto stopped them and turned to face Sasuke, a glare locked on the Federal agent. "It's not humanity that's hiding its existence."

Sasuke nodded in understanding to that. "Yeah, but she's a kid. You can't fault her for taking things at face value."

"No, but I can fault her for letting her get in the way of her own judgment," Naruto said. They resumed walking to the cabin, going up the steps. "If we go to her and tell her that her friend, an older attractive boy that has not really done anything to her, is a suspect in poisoning Thalia's Pine..."

"...I see your point," Sasuke said. He lifted his hand up and knocked gently on the door. "FBI! Open up!"

The door was pulled open and a beautiful teenage girl with curled brown hair stepped into view, dressed in short jeans and a modified camp shirt to be a sleeveless tank-top. "Ugh, Marcus if you say Female Body Inspector, I'm going to kick your-oh!"

Sasuke gave a small charming grin. "Hi there." He held up his badge. "FBI."

"...Oh, wow, that's a real badge." She leaned against the door and smiled at Sasuke. "I'm Amber. Can I do anything to help you, Agent...?"

Sasuke smiled back and lifted his left hand, revealing a gold band. "Engaged. I'm here on business, for Chiron."

"Oh," Amber said with a blink. She sighed. "...Silena's at the stables if you want to talk to her. The others are out doing activities, I'm here because I have some summer homework that Chiron wants done."

"Thanks," Sasuke turned and walked away. He noticed a lack of footsteps and stopped. Sasuke turned around to see Naruto still on the porch. "Are you coming, or what?"

"You go ahead and get some answers. I think I'll stay here and get to know...Amber?" Naruto asked with a small smile. Amber twirled her hair around her finger and smiled back as she gave him a once over. Her smile widened slightly.

Sasuke blinked in shock. "Are you serious? You're flirting _now_? After all the blind dates your stepmother and I've set up that you turned down?"

Naruto tilted his head and looked up before he looked back at Sasuke. "Yep."

"Unbelievable." Sasuke rubbed his head. "Don't you want to interrogate her?"

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Probably much better without me." Naruto waved his friend off. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief and walked off, which made Naruto chuckle.

Naruto turned back just as Amber adjusted her shirt collar to expose more of her cleavage slightly and her eyes flickered to Naruto's. A smile spread across her face. "Do you have a badge, too?"

"No. I'm just a consultant. Are you the only one in your cabin?" Naruto asked.

Amber's grin grew. "Yeah. Why? Wanna do something illegal?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure thing, cutie."

"Good, I really didn't want to knock you out." Naruto walked in and brushed past the surprised girl as he entered the cabin. Naruto began to inspect the beds with a critical eye. "Besides, it's statutory rape if I slept with you. I'm twenty-two and you're what? Sixteen?"

"I'm _seventeen_. What do you mean knock me out?" Amber asked with her hands on her hips.

"Well, if you didn't give me permission to enter I'd have to first give a big apology to Aphrodite and then proceed to strike you in the throat, cutting your air flow and follow with a hard punch to the diaphragm in order to get in." Naruto hummed as he picked up a rather lacy pair of underwear between his fingers. "Seventeen, huh? Why aren't you counselor then?"

Amber stormed over to him and snatched the underwear from his grasp. "First of all, don't touch my underwear!"

"...Okay, that image was admittedly very hot."

"Secondly, Aphrodite chooses her children gifted with charmspeak to lead the cabin." Amber shoved her underwear in his face menacingly. "And finally, what was with all that stuff you said to the hot FBI guy?"

"I didn't want him to get all 'legally ethical' on me while I searched for evidence that could implicate one of the people who reside in this cabin," Naruto said. While Amber continued to glare at him, Naruto blinked for a moment before he had an epiphany. "...Oh, you're wondering why I alluded to wanting to sleep with you and yet chose not to. Well, aside from the desire to _not_ be labeled as a rapist, I'm more of a redhead kind of guy."

Amber blinked. "Oh...That's...reasonable. Wait, you're not attracted to me?"

"Oh, I am. I'm just more into redheads." Naruto shrugged. Amber frowned and stormed past Naruto into the cabin's washroom. Naruto watched the door slam shut and he tilted his head. "What'd I say?"

Naruto shook his head and walked around the cabin, searching bunks without any care for privacy. He pulled pictures of attractive men and women off of the wall. Minutes flew by as he flipped the cabin twice, tearing it down and then putting everything back the way was to see if he missed anything. The only room untouched was the washroom.

"Hey, Amber, can I come in and look around?" Naruto asked as he knocked on the door. He furrowed his brow and knocked again. "Amber?"

The door flew open and Naruto took a step back out of mild surprise. Amber smirked at him and leaned against the doorway. Her brown hair now a slightly wet and dark red.

"So," she began with a coy grin. "Am I attractive now?"

Naruto slowly nodded. "...Very much so."

"Smart answer." Amber grabbed the edges of Naruto's jacket and pulled him into the washroom. The door slammed shut behind him.

* * *

Sasuke leaned against his car with his arms crossed over his chest and looked at his watch. It was three-forty, two hours since he had spoken with Silena and other demigods about Luke. He'd been given a letter from one of his brothers, and of course now that he had a precise location, Naruto was skipping out for a booty call.

"Learn anything interesting?"

Speak of the devil. Sasuke turned and glared at his friend. "An underage girl? Really?"

"She's seventeen and two months." Naruto shrugged. "Legal by that age."

"...She was a brunette!" Sasuke gaped at the blond as he walked past and got in the car.

"Yes. Yes she was," Naruto said with a smile. He opened the door. "You texted that you had a lead?"

"...But she wasn't a redhead!"

"You're right, she wasn't. Not naturally."

Sasuke stared at Naruto. "But...But...She's...All those dates Kushina and I set up. The girls Kushina assaulted to dye their hair and _I_ bribed!"

"I wondered how you got that Sandi chick to agree to go out. She was a very smart woman and her studies on biological enhancements were fascinating. I felt so bad that she left her tests to meet me," Naruto said. He got in the car and sat down, looking at the passenger mirror. Naruto frowned and rubbed at the red lipstick on the side of his mouth. "I walked through the camp and no one said anything? Seriously? Not cool."

"...I'm going to kill you." Sasuke decided as he got in the car. "And then cover it up."

"Uh-huh. So where's the boat?"

"They'll never find your body."

"I find that highly unlikely."

"I'll scatter your remains across the country."

"Right."

"Lock the tools I used in federal stores and classify the shit out of it."

"Just drive, Sasuke."

"I hate you so much, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Where is it we're going, anyway?"

"You? After this, your body is going six feet under." Sasuke growled at Naruto's chuckle. He pulled back and turned the car around. "But now? We're going to the docks. Tip from my cabin, and confirmed by some guys back in the city. We're heading to Port Jeff."

* * *

"Wake up." A hard punch to the shoulder jostled Naruto from his dreamless, but welcomed sleep. Naruto blearily turned and glared at Sasuke, his hand going to the punched arm and rubbing it soothingly.

"Who taught you how to wake people up?" Naruto asked. He undid his seatbelt and yawned as he got out of the car. Naruto covered his mouth with his fist and shielded his eyes from the setting sun. "Damn...how long was I asleep?"

"Two. Hours." Sasuke grunted as he slammed his door shut. He glared at Naruto. "And you conked out before we even hit traffic."

"Never been able to stay awake in moving transportation. A result of a single father going to drastic measures to make his wailing infant sleep." Naruto droned. He shuddered. "If I'm to keep my sanity, I'm never going to have children."

Sasuke cuffed him upside the head. "Don't even start. If I have to get married, you have to have children."

"You have to get married to your fiancé first." Naruto grinned as he rubbed his head, his eyes squinted from the sunlight.

Sasuke glared at him and pulled out a pair of sunglasses to put on. He pulled out another pair and held them out to Naruto.

"Oh!" Naruto blinked and reached for the glasses. "Thanks."

Sasuke pulled the sunglasses away from Naruto's hand and tossed them out into the water. Sasuke then walked off towards the docked ship like he had not just done that.

Naruto stared after the FBI agent in disbelief. "...That was completely uncalled for!" Naruto looked back at where the sunglasses were thrown before he followed after his irate friend. "So unprofessional."

Naruto caught up to Sasuke, despite having the sunset blinding him, and scowled at him. Sasuke arched a brow, his red eyes concealed by his sunglasses, but Naruto knew that amusement resided in them. The ass.

"Excuse me, sirs, but this is a private dock, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." A security guard put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he started to walk past.

Naruto winced. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that. He's in a bad mood. His father's blood shows–"

Sasuke grabbed the hand, twisted the arm and drove the guard to the ground in one fell swoop.

"When he's mad." Naruto shook his head and shrugged. "I tried to warn you."

With some light strain, the shoulder dislocated and the security guard cried out. Other guards rushed forward, but stopped when Sasuke lifted up his badge.

"FBI. Try me." Sasuke lowered his sunglasses and glared at the men with burning red eyes. The security guards backed off and went back to their posts while Sasuke pushed his sunglasses back up. "I thought so."

"Wow, what happened while I was asleep?" Naruto asked. "Did your mom call you?"

Sasuke ignored him and walked onto the cruise ship, flashing his badge at people he passed. Naruto pursed his lips as he followed.

"Did your dad call?" Sasuke stopped and looked at him, bewildered. Naruto shrugged. "It could happen. You were one of the best snipers in the world, in the top ten. Ares would like more deaths to occur in war-like acts. It's only logical-"

"Let me stop you right there," Sasuke said. "First of all, Ares and logic, not a combo. Period. Never going to be a thing. Understand?"

Naruto tilted his head in thought. He then nodded. "That sounds logical."

"And secondly," Sasuke said and poked Naruto roughly in the chest. "I'm _still_ one of the best snipers in the world. Don't say it in past tense."

Sasuke turned and walked away without another word. Naruto arched a brow as he watched his friend walk off. "Stingy bastard."

"I can hear you!" Sasuke called over his shoulder.

Naruto furrowed his brow and followed after the federal agent. He was quiet for a few moments as they walked through the ship and Sasuke asked several people about Luke. The people were distracted, all lost in their own fantasy. Sasuke's temper wasn't helping and it wasn't until they came across a ship hand that they got some good, helpful responses. They were directed to the bridge, and it was only once he cleared the ladder that Naruto snapped his fingers.

"Sakura called, didn't she!"

Sasuke groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, I slept through that? Why didn't you wake me?" Naruto whined as they walked towards the bridge's door. "Her recent findings on the hidden vein system within the human body in Tibet were so amazing! I wanted to know details!"

"We're not doing this now." Sasuke said as he opened the door to three men, all in their late teens early twenties, standing in the bridge. Sasuke lifted his badge at one of the tall young men in the corner that started to move towards them. "Try it, tough guy. I'll put you down faster than you can growl."

"Ah, welcome, Mister...?" A tall young man with blond hair and a scar on his face smiled at them. The tone was far too pleasant and sounded a bit condescending.

"Save the bullshit, Castellan, I was at camp with you." Sasuke growled. One of the two burly boys in the room stepped forward and Sasuke glared at him. "Back off, Fuzzball!"

Naruto put a hand on his shoulder, his eyes locked on the pleasantly smiling teen. "Now, now, _Special Agent_ Uchiha, why don't you go question some of the pretty girls on the deck? I'm sure I can get some solid answers out of Mr. Castellan on my own."

Sasuke scowled and abruptly left; the door slammed so hard on his exit that the wood cracked. Naruto sucked in air through his teeth.

"I'm so going to regret doing that," Naruto said as he turned away from the door and sucked in his lips. "Oh well, eyes on the present, not the past as the saying goes."

"I thought children of Athena loved to look to the past for answers?" Luke asked.

Naruto smirked as he looked back at Luke. "Cute. You think about Annabeth just now? How much your absence is hurting her? How she might hate you now?"

Luke's smile fell and his eyes became hard. "Is there a reason you and your federal friend are here?"

The two burly boys moved to flank the son of Hermes. Their skin shimmered before they changed into bear-like men. Naruto blinked at the change.

"Ah. The Bear Boys, that explains Sasuke's puns." Naruto mumbled. He was a bit upset that the Mist affected him as long as it had. He should look into more demigod-related murders, get back into the swing of things. Naruto titled his head and looked at the two humanoid bears. "Well, let me just say that Sasuke has not eaten yet and has eaten bear before. I'm also curious about the taste of an immortal's flesh."

The bears exchanged a look while Luke arched a brow. "Cannibalism? Really?"

"Not cannibalism, they're not the same species as I am. From a god's loins, they may be, but demigods these two are not. Ain't that right, boys?" Naruto arched a brow at the two. He looked back at Luke when they failed to respond. "Muscle, not brains?"

"More or less." Luke crossed his arms. "Why are you on my ship."

"This isn't your ship," Naruto said. He turned and grabbed a plaque from a wall. "This ship is owned by one Mr. Mycroft Holmes..." Naruto turned the plaque around and looked at it with furrowed brows. "Mycroft Holmes? Huh, go figure."

"It's my ship." Luke restated with a frown. "I appropriated it for the true ruler of the world."

Naruto looked at Luke and then back at the plaque. "...Do you think if there's a Mycroft, that there's a Sherlock? I wonder if he's a brother. That would be disenchanting. God, I really hope he's not a brother of mine."

Luke smacked the plaque out of his hand and held a bronze blade up to his throat. "Why. Are. You. Here?"

"Why is it that every demigod I encounter has a bad attitude? What happened to being civil?" Naruto asked as he looked at the blade disinterestedly. "You should really take better care of this. This was wielded by a Revolutionary."

"Only fitting that it's in my hands then," Luke said. Naruto snorted and Luke narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing...Well, except for the fact that you think you're a Revolutionary," Naruto said. The blade dug into his neck and Naruto tilted his head up. "Struck a nerve didn't I?"

"I'm fighting for our lives," Luke said lowly. "The gods have taken advantage of demigods for too long, it's time we show them that we deserved better treatment!"

"And this has _absolutely_ nothing to do with the feelings of love you had for Zeus' daughter before she was turned into a tree?" Naruto asked.

Luke blinked. "What?"

"It was pathetically obvious, you know. You moped around, always went to visit her on weekends or before bed...Like a kicked puppy. It would be cute if it wasn't so sad," Naruto said nonchalantly. The blade tightened against his throat. "So hasty...denial is not healthy for one's mental health."

"What are you saying?" Luke asked with a growl. "Make some sense."

"Good gods, do I always have to repeat myself?" Naruto groaned. "You were _in_ _love_, you twit! And you expect me to believe you willingly poisoned the tree that protects the camp, the last part of Zeus' daughter that lives?"

"Thalia was dead long before I poisoned that tree!"

"Aha! So you admit to poisoning it, then?" Naruto inquired. "Still though, it's all that remains of her. You're spitting on her grave, the dead don't forget things like that, you know."

Luke's jaw twitched and Naruto caught it. "Oh-ho...you had a plan. A way to fix the tree...once you emerged victorious from...whatever you call this."

"War." Luke growled as he pulled his blade back. "Choose your side, you either stand with me, or with _them_."

"You mean with Olympus, I assume." Naruto hummed. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I did wonder what type of man it took to poison a tree and endanger all those children."

"They chose their side when they refused to answer my call!"

"Your call? You mean the letters you sent out in the mail? The party invitations?" Naruto asked dryly. "Were you really that mad no one would make reservations?"

Luke lifted his blade and took a swing at Naruto, but another caught his blade. A dagger, easily as long as an arm with two smaller blades protruding from the base, caught Luke's sword before the swing could complete. Naruto held his dagger effortlessly in one hand and pulled out a collapsible baton in the other.

"What's that for?" Luke asked with a grunt as he tried to force his sword to move. "Are you going to try to attack me?"

"No. This is to stop the wonder twins." Naruto flicked a dial and an electric current shot through his baton. He danced around Luke, keeping the son of Hermes at bay with his dagger's unique design, and jabbed both of the humanoid bears in the chest. They flew through the windows of the bridge with yelps and Naruto looked at his baton in wonder. "Hm...I think fifteen amps might be just a tad too much."

"Fifteen amps?" Luke pulled away and took another swing. Naruto backed away from the blade and his thumb rolled over the dial.

"Ten amps can kill a human. I was sure that fifteen would only knock them out." Naruto ducked under another swing and sidestepped a slash. "Do you mind? I'm just trying to talk."

"And I'm trying to kill you, so yeah. I mind." Luke took another swing. Naruto continued to avoid and deflect with his dagger.

"Always the hard way." Naruto sighed. He caught another slice from Luke and twisted his wrist opposite of Luke's own twisting wrist. "Ah, the infamous disarm. A basic, if not overused technique taught at camp. It took a few practice dummies and a few hired hands, but I found a way to avoid being disarmed completely!" Naruto looked up at his dagger that was suddenly imbedded in the ceiling. "...Huh, you slapped the palm of my hand. You truly are a prodigy in the art of swordsmanship. Bravo."

"Ready to die, then?" Luke swung and Naruto stopped it with his baton. Luke stared at the mortal weapon that seemingly stopped his celestial bronze blade. He winced when the baton moved and cracked against his elbow, making the son of Hermes back away and shake out his arm.

"The perfect blend of bronze wiring and mortal metals. You, Mr. Castellan, are certainly unstoppable with a blade." Naruto smirked as he lifted his baton up. "I, however, am a master of the single stick." Electricity danced around the tip of the baton. "Care to test yourself against me?"

"...Point taken," Luke said as he dropped his sword to his side. Luke frowned at him. "You are strong and smart, a true son of Athena. Why don't you join me? Can't you see that the gods don't appreciate you?"

Naruto turned his baton off and collapsed it into a portable form. He tucked it into his pocket. Naruto then jumped up to grab his dagger and pull it out from the ceiling. He sheathed it behind him, a thoughtful look on his face.

"You make a good point. I doubt the gods do appreciate me," Naruto said. He shook his head. "But I don't want their appreciation. I don't want their praise, or their glory, or their position."

"Oh...You do want their love. Abandonment issues?" Luke asked, a knowing look in his eye.

Naruto scoffed. "Hardly. I know what my godly mother is like. I've met Annabeth Chase."

Luke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The gods, all of them, have become too human." Naruto nodded. "Athena is called the goddess of wisdom, to be immortally wise and unbiased. But how is it wise to burden one of the brightest human minds on the planet who could do _so much_ for the people she lords over with a child? It is not wisdom, it is stupidity. Athena ignored her duty, ignored humanity's need for her own selfish desires for a 'hero' that she could use to stroke her own ego. Make her hubris grow."

"You don't like Athena?" Luke's eyes shone. "Join me-!"

"I'm not finished," Naruto said sternly, giving the infamous glare named after his mother that made Luke's silver tongue turn to lead in his mouth. Naruto relaxed his shoulders. "I do not like Athena. However, Athena is still my mother. Like any child, I love both her and my father immeasurably and I am grateful that she decided to bring me into this world. Just because I love my mother, does not mean I have to like her. I understand her. Frankly, that's enough for me."

"But she's a _god_." Luke insisted. "Any problems given to us are _their_ fault. They need to be held responsible for ruining our parents' lives!"

"I completely agree," Naruto said. "They want to rule the world, they should grow up and act like it."

"Exactly!" Luke nodded.

"...You're such a fool." Naruto shook his head and made his way for the door. Luke was stunned and did not move to stop him. Naruto stopped and looked at the confused boy. "There's something to be said about a scared little boy hiding in the closet."

"...What are you talking about?"

"A ranting mother, a crazy woman that spouted nonsense."

"Shut up." Luke reached for his sword. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his collapsed baton.

"With that kind of life, it's understandable why he'd be mad. And then the girl he loved died...killed by monsters while she fought to protect him. How's she repaid for her sacrifice? She's turned into a tree."

"I'm going to kill you...I'm going to kill you." Luke trembled, his knuckles white on his sword's grip.

"I hope you don't try, because if you do, you will die here and now." Naruto warned. Luke heeded it, smart enough to know when he was outmatched. Naruto cautiously slid his baton back into his pocket and turned the handle on the door. "What I see before me is not a revolutionist, but an angry child throwing a fit. The result of your actions will not end well for you, Mr. Castellan. The Olympians will be punished for their crimes against their children, universal balance will see to that."

Luke glared at him. "I know. I'll make sure of it."

Naruto shook his head. "I'm afraid that you're wrong. I can guarantee that you won't."

"Is that a threat?" Luke asked.

"You can consider it a promise." Naruto left without another word, leaving the son of Hermes to stew in his own anger.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke returned that night to Camp Half-Blood, but Naruto did not mention Luke's admission to Chiron or Mr. D. He figured there would be no point. Zeus would not listen to hearsay, even if it came from Chiron. It was an unfortunate truth, bittersweet really.

Sasuke had driven Naruto home and then returned to his own house, to be scolded and argue with his fiancé.

Naruto made a bowl of ramen and watched the evening news.

Small cases – missing pets, simple thefts, and dull criminals – occupied Naruto for two weeks before he received a call from Camp Half-Blood. Chiron told Naruto about a recent quest that not only brought the barrier back up, cleared the centaurs named, and convinced Zeus that Luke Castellan had betrayed Olympus, but the impossible (by mortal standards) had been achieved: Thalia Grace returned to life. It went back to Percy Jackson, the young son of Poseidon, and his desire to rescue not the camp, but his friend Grover Underwood.

After hearing the tale, Naruto had agreed to make a visit sometime in the summer and meet the boy, ask Thalia some questions about Limbo, and look into a new guardian for the Golden Fleece.

Naruto had just hung up the phone when he felt as though someone had joined him. He turned and blinked in mild surprise when a woman with long dark hair and eyes that were a brilliant grey looked at him. The woman was beautiful, dressed in a grey business suit that gave her an image of authority.

"Athena." Naruto greeted.

Well, now he sort of wished he had pants on. It was embarrassing to greet your mother in your boxers and socks.

"Naruto Namikaze." Athena nodded back at him. "Dionysus has told Olympus of your investigation that he 'forgot' to mention. Did you discover any information that could've cleared Chiron's name?"

"I might've." Naruto grunted in discomfort when a pair of slacks and a dress shirt appeared on his body. "...Really?"

"You shouldn't speak to a goddess in your underwear."

"I wasn't really expecting company." Naruto returned dryly. He pulled his shirt out of his pants and allowed himself to breathe. "Is that all you came here for?"

"...Naruto, I know what you think of me. I'm pretty sure all of Olympus knows what you think of us," Athena said.

Naruto crossed his arms. "You've become _too_ human. Too comfortable."

"...Perhaps. We are still gods, and while you may not like me, I do care for you," Athena said. She looked around the studio apartment with a frown. "Isn't Dr. Namikaze a millionaire?"

"Why does everyone rag on the simple living style?" Naruto threw his arms up in disbelief. "It's comfortable, affordable, and functional! What more do I need?" He pointed at the goddess with a frown on his face. "If you say a woman's touch I will consider committing matricide."

Athena let a small amused smile spread on her face. "I'm a goddess. It'd be suicide by immortal."

"...Well, I'd give one hell of a try." Naruto crossed his arms again and shifted nervously at the look in Athena's eyes. "But don't get me wrong, I like being alive."

"You don't want to commit suicide, then?"

"Oh no, not at all. I love being alive. There are many things in this life that I'm fond of." Naruto nodded.

"Such as?" Athena asked.

"Ramen, sex, puzzles, ramen, Star Trek, sex, foreign languages, sex, ramen, foreign cultures, astrology, ramen, redheads, and did I mention ramen?" Naruto asked.

Athena arched a brow. "Four times."

"Make it five. I like the number five. It's so...evenly odd." Naruto nodded. He slid his hands into his pockets and frowned when he felt something brush against his left hand. Naruto pulled the object out and unfolded a piece of paper. "...What does Valdez mean?"

Athena smiled slightly and walked up to her son. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "I can see where one of my children's passion lies. You enjoyed the case of the poisoned tree."

"Oh, that's good...I'm going to use that," Naruto said with a hum as he rubbed his chin. "Start a novella, perhaps. Got to flesh it out though, add in more sex and romance, perhaps a murder or two. Readers love that sort of thing."

"Consider this my test for you, then," Athena said. Naruto looked back at her and she smirked. "You've solved over forty thousand mortal crimes in your life...and only one Olympian case was ever issued to you. You didn't obtain any evidence, the victim hasn't received justice, and you failed to get a reward for your time."

"...I do like puzzles..." Naruto looked back at the paper in his hand. He looked up in time to see the fading figure of his mother before she vanished like she was never truly there. Naruto looked down at the paper in his hand and walked over to a blank spot on the wall next to his futon. He grabbed a piece of chewed gum from the floor and adhered the paper to the wall.

"Valdez, huh?" Naruto crossed his arms and stared at the paper with the name scrawled on it. He looked closer at a small smudge. Naruto sniffed the paper and shook his head "...This is grease? Something to do with Hephaestus."

Naruto dropped his hands to his hips and smirked. "Okay, Athena. Challenge accepted."

* * *

**AN: And so ends the first of several one-shots. I don't know which Olympian will be next, but I know I'll have one hell of a time writing it.**

**This one-shot is dedicated to my Mom, who sat through watching hours of episodes of **_**Bones**_** while I clacked away at my computer.**

**REVIEW!**

**OH! Another thing: There's a wikia page on PercyJacksonFanfiction Wikia for "Naruto Uzumaki (Fils de l'Amour)"! Check it out, it was really well done!**


	2. Monster Hunter

**AN: I don't own **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus**_** or **_**Naruto**_**. Just another fan with a bit too much time on his hands.**

**The Monster Hunter**

* * *

Lewis Tumnus the Eighth – yeah, make the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe joke, you know you want to – was not having a good day. He was far from Camp Half-Blood, home to demigods, satyrs (like himself) and nymphs of Ancient Greek lore. Well, lore according to normal humans anyway. To beings like Lewis, it was sanctuary, the last good one as far as he was concerned.

Lewis wiped the back of his furry arm across his brow to clear away the sweat. This heat was unbearable. And there were far too many chains with hooks on them that hung from the ceiling in his opinion. A shadow moved and Lewis hurriedly turned to find the source of it. Why did he agree to come to this old steel mill again?

Oh yeah, because Chiron had made it an official request to the council.

Lewis pitied the old centaur, truly he did. He was given the blame for the poison of Thalia's Pine when someone else was clearly responsible. Alas, Lewis was just a satyr, a lowly ranked one in satyr hierarchy at that, and could do nothing but help the trainer out when he needed it.

Lewis grunted as he backed into an old table. Something fell and, before he could fathom an attempt to stop it, the object hit the ground and made a large bang. Lewis yelped and quickly clapped his hands over his mouth to conceal the sound.

It was too late.

The shadows came alive and from one came an enormous Hellhound. A creature of shadow, the Hellhound was seen only thanks to the faint light that came from the mill's active smelters. It's red eyes scanned the room, and drool dripped from the massive jaws.

Lewis scrambled for a place to hide. He ducked behind a large cabinet far from where he stood and breathed heavily as the sound of several deep sniffs hit his sensitive ears. He kept his hands over his mouth so no unintentional bleats came out. He carefully peeked out from his hiding place and swallowed. A muffled bleat escaped his hands, which tightened around his mouth.

The Hellhound sniffed along the ground like a normal dog would and stopped where he had once stood. There were several more sniffs before it looked up. The Hellhound stalked closer to Lewis' cabinet, and the satyr shrunk back into the shadows within.

If only he could hide his scent, for the one few moments in his life, Lewis cursed the fact that he was a satyr.

The Hellhound growled as it approached. The sound of its paws as they struck the ground were like booms of thunder from an angry Zeus, something that absolutely terrified Lewis ever since he was a young goat. Lewis' eyes screwed shut and he held his breath.

The Hellhound's snout started to penetrate the cabinet and the growl became ferociously loud. It was a growl of anticipation and the glee of captured prey. A growl Lewis really wished he hadn't heard.

Then, something happened.

The doors to the mill, left open to only a crack, suddenly exploded with noise as they were thrown open wide. The Hellhound retreated from the near discovery it almost made and barked at the intruder. A chain rattled and the sound of a metallic crack filled the air. The crack was followed by a boom and the Hellhound's whine shortly after.

Lewis chanced another look outside of his cabinet spot and leaned out. He saw the Hellhound on its side on the ground. It writhed and snarled at an unseen foe, or hero in Lewis' opinion, until it suddenly went still with a yowl. A chain fell to the ground as the Hellhound dissolved into golden dust, a small pelt of fur left behind as a reward.

A gunshot rang out and Lewis cringed.

"Come out." The voice that spoke was young, but hoarse like it was unused. There was the soft click of a gun's hammer pulled back. "Next shot will be the last."

Lewis climbed out of his spot with his hands up. "Don't shoot! I'm not a monster!"

There was silence before another soft click followed his words. From the shadows came a giant of a teen. He was easily a few inches taller than the average man and his shoulders were broad. Underneath a black leather jacket was a worn faded camp T-shirt covered his chest and relaxed jeans were on his legs. Boots of some sort were on his feet and in his left hand was a mortal handgun. In his right, the end of a bronze chain that rested where the Hellhound once lay. The gun was tucked into a holster on his hip and the chain, as though sentient, wrapped itself around his arm several times.

"What do you want?" Lewis looked up at the teen's face, or what he could see of it anyway. A bandanna that had the lower image of a human's skull on it protected the teen's face from the nose down. Steel blue eyes glared at Lewis and short wild corn-colored hair covered his head.

Lewis swallowed and slowly reached into his cargos pocket. He pulled out a folded letter and offered it to the blond. The blond snatched the letter from the satyr's hand and flipped it open. His eyes scanned the contents before he folded the note back up and tucked it away into his jacket.

"Payment?"

Lewis blinked at the question and then fumbled around in his other pocket. He pulled out a small bag that jingled with each movement and held it out to the blond. The hand shot out like a viper and grabbed the leather bag. It also vanished into his jacket soon after.

"I'll get the rest at camp." The teen turned and walked out to where a dark motorcycle with a massive front waited. Lewis hurriedly ran after him. The rider got on the bike and turned the engine over. The wheels ignited in flame and the sides of the hood turned on, a red headlight on either side, like evil eyes.

"Wait, can I hitch a ride?" Lewis asked.

The blond paused as he held a dark helmet and scrutinized the satyr for a moment. A beat passed before he pulled the helmet on and revved the engine. The rider turned to the satyr, his face hidden by the helmet.

"I'll take you to the bus station."

Lewis sighed in relief. "That'll work. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

"_Run! Get Naruto out of here, Kushina!"_

"_Minato, don't be an idiot!"_

"_I'll hold them off, just go!"_

"_Mom! No, we have to go back for Minato! Minato!"_

The rider shook his head and lifted his faceguard to rub at his eyes. He lowered it so that the wind didn't bother him and brooded over his dream. That dream had gotten really old, really fast. It had been six years since that day, the day his mother and stepfather died. Six years since he left Camp Half-Blood behind along with all the friends he made. He wondered how many were left, how many had died on quests. He wondered if anyone had taken Moria's place as Cabin counselor.

Well, he thought idly, I guess I'll find out for myself once I get there.

His hand hit the autopilot switch and he retook control of his prized creation. It was originally a bodyguard for his mother, made in his first year, for when he was away at camp. After she had met Minato and things started to look serious, he took the bot with him to camp in his third year to tinker and toy with it. After the _incident_, Naruto packed up what remained of the original work and left Camp Half-Blood for good.

Six years ago, Naruto thought. He reached out with his right hand and pat the modified Suzuki motorcycle on the massive hood that housed an engine that ran on a smidge of plutonium and recycled energy. "How's it feel to be six years old, Kurama?"

The headlights flashed and the engine revved like a cat would purr.

Beneath his helmet, Naruto cracked a smile. "Yeah, I know. Feels longer, doesn't it?"

The motorcycle revved again.

"Alright, you take it easy and let me drive." There was another rev before the speed dropped significantly from three hundred and twenty one miles per hour. Naruto leaned forward and took the right down the dirt road. Naruto hit another switch that cut the blaze of fiery wheels and replaced them with off-road ready treads.

Naruto turned right at the strawberry fields and kept to the road as the woods neared. The sounds of shouts and yells increased in volume as he drove closer to where the camp was. Naruto banked around the corner and saw a line of armored campers on Half-Blood Hill, shields and spears at the ready while a few archers took shots at the attackers.

The rider sneered at them beneath his helmet, Cyprian Centaurs. A race of centaurs that hail from the island of Cyprus, said to be attendants of Aphrodite and children of Zeus and Gaia, they are similar to normal centaurs but are larger and have bull-like horns that stick out the side of their head. They had thick hides and were fast despite their size.

Naruto let his right hand slip out to the side and grabbed the handle of the weapon that was holstered behind him. The blond pulled the modified Winchester shotgun out and, with a swivel of the cock he had practiced after he watched a Schwarzenegger film, loaded a round. He sped ahead of the centaurs and skid to a halt halfway up the hill. With his other arm as a balance, Naruto fired a round at the small force.

Three seconds after his shot, three of the centaurs were coated in fluid that burst info flames on contact with their skin. One fell into dust then and there, but the other two fled, and the flames that covered them remained despite their attempts to douse them. Naruto swiveled the shotgun again and drove at the surprised platoon. As he drove past one, he unloaded a bronze shotgun shell into its head. At the sight of their brother's head exploding, the centaurs abandoned their charge and chased after him as he sped away.

Naruto shook his head. Too easy. He holstered the shotgun and twisted his wrist. From around his arm, the bronze chain slipped down and rattled in the wind. He threw his arm out at a distant tree and the chain shot out. It wound twice before it became lodged in place. Naruto turned around and led the centaurs into the woods, where he wound his way through the trees. The centaurs continued to follow after him, which led to their downfall.

Throughout the chase, Naruto let his chain get hooked on several trees. The result was akin to a comedic run-into-the-clothesline sketch, only with a bronze chain that cut through the centaur's midsections like they were butter. Naruto retraced his path and unwound the chain with a sharp tug. As he broke through the brush, one centaur blindsided him and tackled him off of his bike.

Naruto got back to his knees with a groan. He pulled his cracked helmet off of his head and put his hand to the gash that rested over his eye. He looked over to where the centaur slowly rose to its hooves, a stump where its left arm once was. The blond then looked for his motorcycle, which he found on its side a few meters away.

One detail stuck out and Naruto's eye twitched. "You scratched my bike."

"You killed my kin!" The centaur growled in return. It used its spear to rise to its full height. "A scratch will not satisfy my desire for your death, Halfling!"

Naruto just glared at the centaur. The chain dangled from his wrist and he tightened his grip around it. Fire burned in his eyes and he focused solely on the centaur before him. The centaur charged forward with a yell and Naruto twisted his right wrist. The chain shot out to wrap around his left wrist and he ran at the centaur. Just before the centaur's spear was within strike distance, Naruto jumped and turned mid air. His chain dropped down and caught itself under the centaur's neck. Naruto landed on the half-horse's ass and pulled the chain back.

Air left the centaur's mouth and slowly, the bronze chain glowed as it started to burn its way through the centaur's neck. Naruto tightened the length of the chain and continued to pull while the centaur bucked. This continued for about five minutes, when the centaur dropped to the ground and pulled at the chain that strangled him. Naruto twisted the chain so it completely encircled the Cyprian's neck.

"This is for scratching my bike," Naruto said softly before he gave a final pull and sliced through the monster's neck with his chain. The monster's head fumbled in the air for a second before it began to dissolve into golden dust along with the body. Naruto let his chain wind up around his arm once again as he watched the monster disappear. All that remained was the centaur's spear, which Naruto picked up and broke over his knee.

As he took the spearhead and tossed the natural remains of his 'spoil' into the wood to be made use of, the armored campers ran towards him. Naruto ignored them and went to his bike. He ran his finger along the scratch on the hood and glowered.

"Sorry, Kurama," he said softly. The bike's headlights flashed once and the engine revved. Naruto patted the hood and pulled the bike back onto its wheels. While he looked over the side that had hit the ground, the campers had circled him and watched him warily.

"Who are you?" A girl with a red plume on her helmet demanded, her spear pointed at him. Naruto ignored her and continued to clean his bike of dirt and examine it for any damage. The girl growled and the tip of her spear became covered by red lighting. "I said, who are-!?"

"Enough Clarisse!" The voice of an older man cut in. The girl, Clarisse, frowned and backed off, her spear's red lightning died down as she did. Hooves clopped to a still and Naruto looked up at one of the few friendly centaurs he knew that didn't have a bad drinking habit. Chiron smiled down at the blond. "Thank you for coming, Naruto."

"Monsters are coming in waves, why wouldn't I be here?" Naruto rose and offered his hand, which Chiron took in a strong grip. "Nice to have some decent forges to use, anyway."

"I'd imagine so," Chiron said with a small smile as he released Naruto's hand. He looked Naruto over and sighed. "So much has happened in these past few years...I hear you took on the Nemean Lion."

"It ran away before I could finish it," Naruto said bitterly. He looked down at his bike and then back at the centaur. "Can you give me some space? I need to give Kurama a thorough check up."

Chiron nodded and turned to the other campers. "Back to your stations, there is no more trouble here."

"...Yes, Chiron," Clarisse said after a moment. She turned to the other campers that dawdled behind and barked. "You heard the centaur! Move it!"

After the campers had made it halfway up the hill, Naruto turned his attention to some of the controls on the bike and began to flip various switches. With a final turn of the ignition, he backed away and gestured for Chiron to do the same.

The motorcycle shuddered and revved the engine before it started to change. The hood flipped back and the wheels rolled up into the bike. The sight was one of technical wonder, as Naruto's bike continued to change. With a few final clicks of gears being shifted in place, the bike had transformed into a lion-sized fox, with bright red eyes. The fox shook itself and stretched like a cat before it barked at Naruto.

"I'll bet," he said with a nod. Naruto turned to the surprised Chiron and nodded his head to the bike. "Chiron, meet Kurama, or Kyubi 3.5.1."

"Astounding work, Naruto," Chiron said as he looked over the automaton fox. "Teumessian inspired?"

"Minato's favorite story." Naruto shrugged. He patted the machine on the head. "Kurama here is my greatest creation."

"Interesting name. I know you're of Japanese heritage, but why Kurama?" Chiron asked.

"It's a mountain in Japan and an anagram," Naruto said, his hand scratching the machine behind it's left ear. "Killbot Utilized for Roaming Areas and Monster Annihilation."

Kurama barked and sat at Naruto's side like a loyal dog would.

"Good boy." Naruto tossed the spearhead he had gotten from the Cyprian into the air and Kurama caught it in his mouth. As it chewed, Naruto looked to Chiron with a bit of pride in his eyes. "His teeth are bronze, but painted over with steel infused chemicals to give the illusion of normal metal."

"Quite..." Chiron stared at the fox as it swallowed the spearhead like a meal. He was a bit unnerved by the fox, more so when it seemed to look _at him_ and lick its chops. The centaur cleared his throat and then turned towards camp. "Well, er, shall we?"

Naruto shrugged and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets. "I don't see why not. Come on, Kurama."

Kurama barked and it followed the centaur and its creator. Chiron explained the situation in greater detail as they walked. Naruto took it all in with a small frown behind his bandanna. Apparently, someone had poisoned Thalia's Pine and the barrier had fallen a few weeks back. As he walked past the tree, Naruto observed the dying wood with a bit of concern. No wonder Chiron was taking the blame, Zeus must have been infuriated when he saw what happened to his daughter's tree.

"Any ideas on who did it?" Naruto asked softly. A harpy flew overhead and warned him of his demise, but was scared off when Kurama barked at her. Naruto snapped his fingers to regain the machine's attention, but kept his own eyes on the centaur.

Chiron sighed with resignation. "It matters not, the deed is done and the blame has been placed. There is no hope for Thalia's Pine."

"...Uh-huh," Naruto said in disbelief. He could think of a few things, but if Chiron said they were a no-go, then they probably wouldn't be accepted. "I'll meet with Mr. D tomorrow. I'm tired and I want to kick whoever had taken my bunk out of it."

"I'm sure." Chiron gave Naruto a smile and put his hand on the blond's shoulder. "Thank you, again. I know how hard it is for you to be here, Naruto."

"...Goodnight, Chiron," Naruto said with another nod. He and Kurama left the centaur and headed for Cabin Nine. He opened the door easily and walked in. Kurama followed and pushed the door shut with its tail. Naruto walked through the cabin until he came to the underground bunks. He stomped three times on the ground until a hatch popped open and out came a tired dark skinned teen that looked a few years younger than him.

"Huh, who're you?" he asked.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the blond said with a frown. Seemed Moria either died or followed his example, since the kid was in her bunk. "Son of Hephaestus."

The boy blinked tiredly and focused in the dark on the taller teen. "When'd you get claimed?"

"Nine years ago." Naruto frowned. "Look, can you tell me if anyone took the bunk furthest from the forge?"

"No one could. It's been locked since I got to camp several years ago by the previous counselor," the boy said. He held a hand out. "Sorry, haven't introduced myself yet. Charles Beckendorf, head counselor."

Naruto took the hand and shook it lightly. "No prob. Get back to bed. Just wanted to make sure no one broke my lock."

Naruto left Charles confused and tired and went to his bunk, furthest from the forge and on the left corner. He knelt down and grabbed the bronze lock that held the hatch in place. Several people had tried to pick it, and it made Naruto chuckle. His gas-lock must've knocked them out or made them sick. He looked to Kurama and nodded.

"Eat up, Kurama."

The fox's eyes flashed and it pounced on the lock like a lion to an antelope. Kurama ripped the bronze lock off after a few tugs and went to town. Naruto shook his head and opened the hatch to his old bunk. He dropped in and looked up to where the fox remained behind, happily gnawing on the bronze remains.

Naruto shook his head. "Kurama, get in here before one of the kids tries to take you apart."

The fox fell in with the grace of a cat, accompanied by a loud thump, and curled up on the floor. Kurama continued to gnaw peacefully on the lock and Naruto pulled the hatch shut. He walked over to his bunk and sat down on the edge. The room was dusty and a few sketches of ideas for his house in Oregon from when he was twelve were taped to the walls. Naruto smacked the bed and a small cloud of dust shot up. With a frown under his bandanna, Naruto looked at his machine.

"Kurama, activate air recycler," he said. The fox paused in its treat before its back clicked and two vents popped up from its back. They turned on and Kurama went back to its treat. Naruto slipped his jacket off, hung it over the edge of his bunk, and then bent over to untie his boots. He slipped his feet out and laid back on the bed. With one hand hovered over it, Naruto debated whether or not to take his bandanna off for the night. He decided against it because of the dust in the room and focused on the roof of his bunk.

Naruto stared at the picture attached to the roof, one with a redheaded woman and a tall lean blond next to her, while a younger version of himself was in front of them with a small machine in his arms. They were outside of the new house Minato bought in Oregon and both blonds had Camp Half-Blood shirts on. Naruto's was newer and several sizes too large – though now it was a bit snug – while Minato's was older and the lettering had faded.

"...I forgot about that picture," he said softly. His heart ached like a clamp had been squeezed around it and the blond draped his arm over his eyes. He listened to Kurama's vents clean the air and his eyes fell shut behind his arm. "...Night mom. Night Minato."

* * *

Naruto shot up, his skin covered in cold sweat. With a grunt, Naruto turned to sit on the edge of his bed. His left hand wiped the sleep out of his eye and he forced back a yawn. Naruto looked down at the massive machine that had curled up at the head of his bunk. He bent over and rapped his knuckles on the top of the foxlike head. "Hey, wake up, Kurama."

The eyes of the metal fox brightened from the dimmed setting they were in sleep mode. The fox got up with a stretch while Naruto rose from his bunk and opened the hatch. Naruto grabbed the edge and pulled himself out of his room with little effort. The son of Hephaestus welcomed the heat of the forge as it passed over his skin and the blond took in a breath of air. He sighed and looked around for any sort of clock and found it on the wall above an opposite room three bunks away.

"Three fifteen...four hours, new record," Naruto said. He cracked his neck and stepped out of the way so that his loyal creation could follow him. Kurama shook itself off, a small cloud of dust shot out from his vent and the machine growled. "Yeah, yeah. I'll clean you after I get a shower in. It's been a few days since we stopped at that pond in Illinois."

Kurama's eyes flashed eagerly and it scratched at its left ear with its hind leg. Naruto shook his head and walked down the hall towards the shower. "Come on, buckethead. You've got the spare clothes in subspace."

Kurama let out a few clicks and followed Naruto down the hall. It stopped outside the door and its right shoulder popped open. Naruto snatched the rolled up clothes and took them with him into the bathroom. "Anyone tries to tinker with you, bite their hand off."

Kurama tilted his head and clicked a few times.

"I'll just build them a new one," Naruto said with a shrug as he grabbed one of the clean towels from the closet next to the bathroom. Kurama seemed content with that and curled up in front of the bathroom while Naruto shut the door behind him.

He placed his clothes on the counter and looked into the mirror. The skull on his bandanna grinned back at him and with a hard look in his eyes, Naruto pulled the article from his face, which was revealed to be quite handsome. Naruto glared at the three large scars that went from one side of his face to the other, courtesy of a monster he had yet to fully remember. The scars that crossed over his nose, mouth and chin were lighter than his skin and jagged.

The day he had gotten them, Naruto had lost his mother and stepfather.

He looked away from the mirror and pulled his shirt off. He balked at his own odor as it wafted off the shirt and hurriedly turned the shower on. With a mental note to burn his shirt and get a new one, Naruto stripped down and jumped into the hot shower. When he was finished, Naruto quickly dried himself off with the towel he had grabbed and got dressed.

Naruto walked out of the shower clad in a clean pair of jeans and a white wife beater that clung to him like a second skin. He balled the other clothes up, save for the Camp shirt he planned to drop into the forge, and gave them to Kurama. The metal fox stored the dirty clothes in the opposite shoulder and followed its creator back towards the bunk. Naruto fell in, pulled his boots on, put his contained ammo clips strapped around his right thigh and left his jacket on the edge of the bed since he didn't need it.

Now fully dressed and ready to run into battle without injuring his foot – talk about embarrassing – Naruto climbed back out of his bunk and went towards the forge. As he planned, the first thing he did was drop his old Camp shirt into the fires and watched it burn. When it finished, he moved on to the next project in his mind; ammunition. He grabbed a bar of bronze and set out to make the two calibers he needed.

* * *

A few hours passed and Naruto had made at least a hundred full metal jacket .45 bullets for his Colt and had just closed the fortieth twelve gauge round for his Winchester when the boy from before, Charles, walked into the forge with a few other children of Hephaestus behind him. As he heard them amble in, Naruto grabbed his bandanna from his pocket and tied it around his face. So he's sensitive about his scars, sue him.

"Hey, who's that?" One kid 'whispered' to the others.

"Relax Sam. His name is Naruto," Charles said. He walked over to the blond, but backed off when Kurama looked up from where it laid next to its creator and growled at him.

"Easy," Naruto said gruffly and dropped a small chunk of celestial bronze to the fox. The fox grabbed the chunk and began to gnaw on it. He turned away from the shell he finished and looked over the slightly shorter teen. "How'd you sleep, Charles?"

"Call me Beckendorf," the head counselor said.

Naruto shrugged. "You got it, bed and drawers."

"...On second thought, call me Charles." Charles rubbed his face while the other kids snickered. He gave them a stink eye, which made them stop snickering but couldn't stop the smiles on their faces, before he looked back at Naruto. "After you woke me up, I slept rather well. When'd you wake up?"

"What time is it?"

"Six."

"Three hours ago," Naruto said. He turned back to his crafted bullets and hummed. "I need boxes to carry these...Kurama, fetch some small iron sheets. Don't eat them."

The metal fox looked up from its treat of bronze and whined.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that, you've got a chunk of bronze in front of you. Eat that when you're done."

Kurama let out snort and got up. It slunk past the other members of the cabin, all of their eyes glued to the complex machinery that moved past them, and grabbed the items as requested.

"Automaton?" Beckendorf asked.

Naruto scoffed. "Please, no offense to Hephaestus, but Kurama is more advanced than a simple Automaton."

"AI?" the lone girl of the group asked. "I'm Cassie, by the way."

Naruto nodded at her. "Naruto. AI are too chatty. He's pretty much a really intelligent animal. Like a dolphin or an ape or something."

Kurama let out a dolphin's laugh as it brought back several sheets of iron as Naruto requested. The blond let out a snide chuckle and snatched the sheets from the machine's mouth. "Smartass."

"What are the base components?" a boy, perhaps Sam that spoke earlier, asked. His fingers twitched and Naruto could see the plans form in every one of the kids' eyes.

The blond smirked beneath his bandanna. "An old Sony radio, a Suzuki motorcycle and several household items." They all looked a bit upset that he didn't elaborate and he chuckled. "Yeah, no. Kurama's one of a kind."

"_One of a kind!_" The Breaking Point lyric played from Kurama as he resumed to gnaw on his treat. Naruto reached down and patted the foxlike machine on the side.

"Damn right, boy," Naruto said with a hidden smile. He looked up at the kids and amusement glistened in his eyes. "So, we going to continue with twenty questions or are we going to work?"

"Just one last question," Charles said. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Naruto said. That seemed to satisfy the kids and they scattered to different corners of the forge in order to begin their own projects. Naruto watched them all for a moment and then turned back to his project. "Cute kids. Give me some of Draiman's lyrics, Kurama."

The fox let out a few clicks before the drums of heavy metal filled the cabin. The other kids didn't seem to mind as they were all hard at work. Naruto grabbed a sheet of iron and started to measure out dimensions for an ammo box. He nodded along with the beat of the metal that blared from his fox's speakers and grabbed a welder's mask that had a white skull painted on the front of it. He pulled out a saw and began to cut the iron to his measurements.

About a half-hour later, Charles walked over to Naruto as he put the finishing touches on his second box. Naruto lifted the mask and looked at the younger counselor. "Can I help you?"

"Actually, I have a question." At Naruto's brief nod, Charles hesitated, searching for words, before he spoke. "Well, is there any particular way you dismantled the radio or any specific parts you used?"

Naruto stared at Charles for a second before he shook his head. "To be honest, I was just working off my gut and instincts. Let the smith in me come out and take control. It's why I blare the metal, I get lost in the chaos."

"Yeah, I noticed..." Charles rubbed the back of his neck. He lifted his other hand and showed off a green cube. "I, er, pulled myself out of a trance and found this cube of circuits and wires from different things put together. I don't know how I did it."

"Instincts," Naruto said. He grabbed the cube without bothering to ask and looked it over. "Looks like Kurama's core. A bit larger. Thinking of anything in particular while you worked?"

Charles swallowed and looked away slightly. "Uh, no one-nothing in particular."

Naruto arched a brow. So Charles had a crush, huh? Good for him. The blond, personally, didn't get girls. They were stranger than guys were, and Naruto knew plenty of strange guys.

Naruto let his eyes roam back to the cube in his hand. "Well, whatever you were thinking of is the core's purpose. I, personally, was thinking of a neighbor that had pet dogs I liked. Got the most loyal 'pet' out of it."

Charles blinked and flushed lightly. "So, if I was thinking about a girl..."

"Probably something mushy," Naruto said as he handed the cube back. "Don't really know how my stuff works, it just does what I want it to. Kind of like that mutant from X-Men."

"Forge? You do know that character was based off of our father, right?"

"Whoopee. Let's send Marvel a 'thank you' note on his behalf," Naruto said dryly. He turned back to his ammo box and flipped his welder mask back down. "Listen, Charles, I'm not one for advice on girls. I'm still a virgin, so I obviously don't get them."

"Right..." Charles blinked, a bit surprised at the laidback announcement. "So, you've never had a girlfriend?"

"Don't see the need for one right now," Naruto said shortly as he started his welding torch back up. "Maybe later."

"Okay...Thanks, Naruto," Charles said. Naruto grunted in return and the cabin counselor went back to his workstation.

When he was done with the ammo boxes and stored them in another subspace storage limb on Kurama. The blond lightly tapped the side of Kurama. "Get up. You're getting a tune up."

Kurama looked up from his treat and let out a whine.

"Oh don't give me that, it's been four months since your last one. And there's the scratch from last night I still have to buff out," Naruto said.

Kurama clicked in return before it stood up on all four legs. Several parts hissed before the left side of Kurama's body opened to reveal a complex, near biologically accurate but mechanical interior. Naruto crouched down next to the Killbot and pulled a flashlight from his back pouch. He heard several tools clatter to tables and rolled his eyes.

"Anyone tries to sneak a peak at his interior and I'll rip your eyes out." He didn't bother to turn around as he gave his warning. The six kids, compared to him anyway, immediately returned to their own duties. Content that his work wasn't going to copied directly – accidental or indirect duplication was acceptable to him – Naruto began to thoroughly look his pride and joy over. Kurama really was the greatest thing he'd ever created.

* * *

As he finished the wax job that would leave Kurama near spotless of any dirt, a horn sounded. Naruto turned the buffer he used off and looked over to Charles. The head counselor looked at his other siblings with a lopsided smile.

"You guys know what that means. Breakfast," he said. He set his welding torch and goggles down. "Let's go before Mr. D sends another harpy after us."

A couple of the kids shudder while the other grumbled and put their own tools down. Naruto shook his head and set the wax buffer on his workbench. He looked at Kurama, the machine sparkled under his gaze, and smirked. "You're going to rub yourself into the dirt, aren't you?"

Kurama just looked at him innocent eyes, or at least as innocent bright red lights could be.

Naruto sighed and patted the fox on the head before he followed his cabin mates out. "Alright, well, don't stray too far and don't try to eat any satyrs."

Kurama barked indignantly.

"I know it was five years ago, but still. The goats are everywhere here and I'm pretty sure the other campers wouldn't be happy if a satyr went missing," Naruto said dryly. He followed the other members of Cabin Nine to the dining pavilion and, despite the whispers of the other campers, had a rather nice time to himself as he did. Kurama even ran off at some time to rub himself into the ground and ruin the wax job that had taken Naruto twenty minutes to do.

Just before Naruto could sit down and enjoy breakfast, a throat was cleared. Naruto turned to the head table, where a man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and purple shoes sat. Dionysus, or Mr. D as he insisted the demigods call him, had his blue eyes locked on the son of Hephaestus and a small scowl on his face. On his right was Chiron, his white flank as spotless as ever and his human torso covered in light armor. On the left was a man in an orange jumpsuit with the number 0001 on it.

"Hello Mr. D," Naruto said as he approached the table. He turned to Chiron. "Morning Chiron."

"Good morning, Naruto," Chiron said with a nod.

The prisoner coughed into his fist. "Allow me to introduce myself to you, demigod-."

"Don't care," Naruto said. He didn't want to give the dead king the satisfaction of having his attention. Instead, Naruto focused on the god that looked a tinge amused at the rebuttal to the prisoner. "Sorry I didn't come see you when I first got here. It was late and I know you don't like your naps interrupted. Wasn't really in the mood to be turned into a squirrel...again."

"So you did learn from that," Mr. D said with a smirk. He grew serious and opened a new can of Diet Coke. "May I ask why you have returned?"

"Chiron issued a contract," Naruto said. The god turned to the centaur and Chiron crossed his arms.

"A little going away gift to you, Mr. D," Chiron said with a wry smile.

Mr. D did not share the sentiment. "Thank you, Chiron, for the wonderful 'gift'."

"Think of it this way," Chiron said. "It'll save you from writing those ghastly 'sorry your kid died' letters."

Mr. D hummed. "That's true. I may not care if they do or don't, but the parents' replies are rather rude. And I'm not allowed to turn them into vermin anymore, so they just pile up. Instead I have to wipe memories and you'd be surprised how angry some of the other Olympians can get when they're forgotten by past lovers."

"I'm sure they are," the prisoner said. He glared at Naruto, most likely for his rude behavior towards him. "So, boy, what makes you so special? I see you're a son of the crippled god."

Naruto blinked dryly at him and then turned to Mr. D. He threw a thumb at the prisoner. "Is he really the best you could scrap up for Chiron's job?"

"Oh, Tantalus has all the qualities of an activities director," Mr. D said with a wry smile. His eyes twinkled in amusement when he glanced at Tantalus. Naruto arched a brow quizzically and followed the god's gaze. Tantalus was staring intently at a pancake set before him and swallowed down the drool that threatened to leave his mouth. A fork and knife were in his hands and he tried to cut the breakfast, but it rolled up and fled from his fork. When Tantalus tried to stab it, it stood upright.

Naruto blinked at the sight and a smile cracked under his bandana. "I see what you mean."

Mr. D looked back at the demigod and his smile left his face. "I'm done with you, Narnia. Back to Hephaestus' table."

"Yes sir," Naruto said. He nodded to Chiron, who nodded back, and then, on a whim, snatched the pancake from Tantalus while he glared at it.

"Wh-You brat, give that back this instant!" Tantalus demanded.

Naruto tossed the pancake at the king, but it stopped midair and flew back to his hand. A smirk appeared beneath Naruto's bandana. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy his time back at camp.

"Off with you, Nana Cho. And worry not, Tantalus. Silenus, bring another plate for our new activities director!" Mr. D said as Naruto walked away and ripped part of the pancake off to slip into his mouth under his bandana. He sat down next to Cassie while she and the other members of his cabin looked at him in shock.

"Naruto, do you know who that was?" she asked him softly.

"Yes," Naruto said. He ripped more of the pancake off and put it in his mouth under his bandana. "That was Hannibal the Cannibal."

While the other kids were a bit confused, a passing satyr heard him and laughed. "Nice one!"

"Who?" Charles asked.

"Serial killer that ate his victims." Naruto waved it off. "You gotta see the movies."

Breakfast continued, and Naruto occasionally slipped something under his bandana to eat. Other tables whispered and gossiped, mostly about the strange blond that joined Hephaestus' cabin that morning, or about what their plans for the day were. It was idyllic, and nostalgic in a way for Naruto.

Then, as expected, it went downhill.

Another horn blew and several campers rose from their seats. Mr. D hardly batted an eye and continued to discreetly goad Tantalus with food. Instead, Chiron took charge and looked over the campers, his eyes met Naruto's and the blond nodded. Naruto rose from his seat and ran towards the camp's boundary line.

He cupped the side of his covered face with his left hand. "Kurama!"

The metal fox burst from the brush with a roar and ran up alongside him. There was a few clicks before the fox's back shifted up and two handguns shot from holsters built into it. Naruto caught them as they came down and turned the safeties off. He cocked the hammers back and kept his index fingers on the side of the triggers until he saw what he was up against.

When he got to Half-Blood Hill, Naruto found a camper pinned by a large monkey-like creature, only it had no tail. Naruto lifted his left hand and took a shot that nailed the monster in the head, it fell to its side off of the demigod and turned to dust. While Kurama ran into the fray to take more of the monkey-like monsters out, Naruto stopped and offered his hand to the downed demigod.

"Thanks," the boy said. He was about the same age as Cassie and had honey blond hair and grey eyes. Athena's kid. "Who're you?"

"Name's Naruto. Cabin Nine," Naruto said.

"Malcolm. Cabin Six," Malcolm said in return. He picked up his dropped sword and looked at the weapons in Naruto's hand with a hint of distain. "Guns?"

Naruto arched a brow. "You're dissing the weapon that saved your life?"

"No, but-"

"Listen, kid, we can debate the morality of using mortal weapons as the son of a Greek deity later," Naruto said. He peered past Malcolm and lifted his right hand up. The gun within it fired and a monkey-like monster fell to the ground as it leapt at the same girl from the night before, Clarisse. She glared at him, but Naruto turned his attention to Malcolm. "What are they?"

"Nesioi Satyrs," Malcolm said with a frown. Kid obviously didn't like guns.

"...These things are satyrs?" Naruto asked. He turned and fired at another Nesioi that tried to get the jump on him.

"Rare, island born," Malcolm said. "They don't usually come inland."

"Huh, well, guess what? Today's our lucky day." Naruto turned and walked into the fray, calm as he put a hole in each satyr that leapt at him. Over their hoots and hollers, Naruto yelled. "Kurama! Unleash the wrath of Ares on these things! Activation code: Slaughter!"

Kurama stopped where it was before it shifted and changed. The sleek, slightly menacing fox curled up into a large ball and suddenly jutted bronze spikes out of its surface. With a few final clicks and whirrs, Kurama started to spin. Dirt was kicked up as it did before the death ball started to rip its way through the ground and shred any poor monster that got in its way to bits.

Throughout all of this, Naruto continued to keep the Nesioi away from the boundary line while the other demigods recovered. There were a good couple dozen of them out of Kurama's range, so it kept Naruto busy for a few minutes. One managed to bite his arm before he shot it point blank in the head.

"Ugly buggers," he said under his breath. Another jumped at him with its mouth open and he shoved the barrel of his colt into the orifice. "Say ah."

Bang, one less Nesioi.

They capitalized on Naruto when his clips ran out. Naruto spun his guns around and used them like blunt weapons to knock them away. When he had a few seconds, he ejected the clips and tucked his guns into the back of his belt. Naruto pulled two more clips out from the strap on his right thigh and slammed them into place. He pulled his guns back out and grinned beneath his bandana.

"Round two."

The skirmish lasted another five minutes before Kurama came to a stop and unrolled. Naruto emptied his clips and reloaded the handguns calmly, despite the feeling of eyes on him. When he finished, he tucked the two weapons into the back of his belt and flipped the safeties back on before he faced the armored demigods behind him.

A golden brow arched up. "What're you all staring at?"

"...Dude...can I get one of those?"

"Richard," Malcolm said to the boy.

Richard shrugged. "What? That was awesome! And a lot easier than swinging a sword."

"Trust me, there's more skill in using a blade than shooting a gun," Naruto said. He ignored the quizzical looks he received and walked towards Kurama, who gathered the rewards dropped by the fuzzballs that attacked them. Once he reached the machine's side, Naruto patted it on the head. "Have fun?"

Kurama barked and leaned into Naruto's hand. Naruto's eyes glistened in the same bliss Kurama displayed.

"Yeah, and to think, this was just the first day," he said.

Oh yes, Naruto was glad to be back at Camp.

* * *

**AN: Alright, yes, this chapter was shorter than the last. Originally, I did have Monster Hunter planned to be published on its own and this chapter used to be two separate chapters, but I figured I'd use this as a test run. However, combined it still flowed very smoothly.  
**

**Tell me your thoughts!**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Ruthless Aggression

**AN: Okay, this may be the shortest one in this series. Sorry for that. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Ruthless Aggression**

* * *

"Get him!"

His bandaged fist slammed against a cheek. The punched man flew back and splintered a wooden table beneath his weight. The sole of his boot was driven into a gut and the sorry bastard that tried to grab him from behind stumbled back into the bar. He lifted his arm to block the attempted haymaker and shattered the attacker's nose with a straight.

This was such a pain in the ass.

"You son of a-!"

A bottle was brought down on his head and shattered on the impact. He glared at the man that had doused him in cheap alcohol and broke a perfectly good bottle over his head. He grabbed the jackass that broke the bottle by the front of his shirt and lifted him up over his head with both hands. He turned and tossed him at the steel pole that the night's stripper was supposed to use.

All he wanted was a drink and some entertainment.

"Grab this motherfucker!"

A hand latched onto his arm and he grabbed it, crushing the bones in his grasp. He pulled the assailant closer and drove his shoulder into the pit of the assailant's. With a bit of force, there was a loud crack that was quickly followed by a scream. An impromptu judo toss had the man landing through another table.

Now he was going to get blacklisted again.

"Fuck you!"

A chair smashed into his back and broke. That was irritating. He turned and grabbed the head of the bastard that smashed the chair into him. He reared his head back and brought it forward, his thick skull slammed into the man's own with a loud sickening crunch. Something broke, and it wasn't just the dumbass' nose.

This would be the nineteenth strip bar he'd be banned from in this state. Shame, too. Some of these girls were hot. Worthy of being in Aphrodite's cabin, for sure.

"C'mon tough guy, c'mon!"

A knife slashed across his chest and cut a hole into his TapouT MMA shirt. Son of a bitch. His eyes flashed red and he grabbed the wrist of the man with the knife. His hand closed around it until bones splintered and the knife was dropped. He caught the knife, a switchblade of about maybe eight inches, and dropped the man with a sweep of his leg. He moved the broken wrist to rest above the man's head and stabbed the switchblade into the palm.

"Ahh! My hand!"

Baby. That was nothing. Try having a hellhound's jaw digging into your shoulder. Or a black bear biting your arm. Or a fucking deer kicking you in the head when you're six years old. That shit hurt.

"Note to self." His voice was dry, he didn't even get to start his drink before these machismos jumped him. "Find a twelve point buck and kick it in the head. Then snap its neck."

"Ahh! My hand!"

Red eyes glared down at the whimpering guy pulling at the knife. He grabbed the man's head and slammed it hard into the floor. The baby was knocked out instantly.

Something cold and metallic pressed against the back of his head, it felt like a small pipe, but he knew better. He lifted his arms in surrender when there was a click of a hammer being cocked.

"Not so tough now, huh, blondie?" It was the guy he punched into a table earlier. Seems he really took offense to being called an 'inbred dumbass that couldn't tell when to leave well enough alone.' "You're gonna die tonight, you son of a bitch. I'm gonna blow your brains out."

"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't call me that," he said, his hands still up in the air.

"What? A son of a bitch? Well tell you what, you _son of a bitch_, after I kill you. I'm gonna look your momma up and fuck her brains out like a _real_ man," the gunman said, a bit of pride in his words.

Wow, that's what? The eighth time he's heard some dumb bastard say that? Amazing how it always manages to piss him off, you would think he would have grown some thicker skin by now.

Unfortunately for the gunman, he hadn't.

He turned and grabbed the gun, a small six-shooter that looked smaller in the fat fucker's hand. He yanked it from the gunman's grasp before the trigger was pulled and turned it around. The gunman looked flabbergasted – if that was the right word, vocabulary was never his strong suit – and even a little afraid.

Red eyes burned intensely and feral whisker-like markings pulled back as he growled. "You know, all I wanted was to drink a beer and watch some nice looking girl dance on the stage."

He pressed the barrel of the still cocked gun against the onetime gunman's temple and watched sweat form. Whimpers, pleas escaped the wannabe tough guy, a thug that wanted to wave his dick around like it was the biggest one in the joint.

Red eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Did you just _piss_ yourself?"

Sobs left the man.

"Now I _have_ to kill you. That's just embarrassing...especially for a _real_ man like yourself."

"Pl-pl-please no!"

"No? But...aren't you a _real_ man?"

"N-n-no! No! Please! I don't wanna die!"

He tisked in disgust and moved the gun down to rest at the man's damp groin. "Don't wanna die, huh?"

"No! NO!"

Bang.

The man shuddered and slumped to the ground, his eyes went to the hole in his thigh before he screamed. Red eyes rolled as they dimmed down from his anger to a cool blue. He dropped the gun on the counter and reached into his back pocket. A couple of fifty dollar bills were left for the cowering bartender.

"That's for the damage." He grabbed an unopened, undamaged bottle from behind the counter and went to the exit. "Sorry for the trouble." He stopped at the door and looked at the wailing gunman. "Oh, and I'm not offended by being called a 'son of a bitch'. I'm a proud son of _the _Bitch."

He left the strip bar and popped the cap off of his beer, taking a swig before he grimaced. He tossed the bottle to the side and walked over to his car, a '67 Pontiac GTO convertible. He pulled off his doused and ruined shirt. He tossed it into the back seat with a frown on his face. He really liked that shirt.

The outline of the words were orange.

He turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the gravel filled drive. It wasn't until the tires hit asphalt that he floored it. He looked in the rearview mirror and gave himself a once over for injuries.

Tanned skin was unblemished, unmarked, and except for the jagged feral whiskers on his cheeks – a reminder of his stupidity when he was a kid – there wasn't a scratch on him. His hair, however, usually blond and unruly, was now damp and smelled like cheap alcohol. Gross. To distract himself from his soon to be sticky head, he cranked up the volume of the radio, his head nodded to the hard rock that woke everyone in the vicinity.

Not that there were a lot of people he could bother in the empty desert.

Movement caught his eye and he barely managed to slam on the breaks as something swooped at him from the front. He ducked down and covered his head, shifting the gears and putting the car in park as he did. Something pressed down with a thump on his hood, and he looked up to see a girl, probably a few years younger than him, no more than seventeen but no less than fifteen, with a glistening silver arrow knocked on her silver bow.

"Thou art my target, gryphon! Come and face death as only prey can!"

The arrow shot from her bow with a twang and he turned to follow it. It tore through the black wings of the monster it was aimed at. A black mass fell from the sky and landed roughly off the side of the road. He arched a brow and looked back at the girl.

"Nice shot."

She aimed an arrow at him.

Bitch much?

"Thou are lucky that my Lady requires me at camp." The girl scoffed as she lowered her bow and walked across the hood of his car – something that was extremely irksome – towards the fallen monster.

"Camp? Uh, last I checked, Camp was forty something hundred miles...that-a-way," he said, pointing towards the northeast.

The girl turned and glared at him for a moment before she returned to approaching the gryphon. She pinned it to the ground with another arrow. "Be happy thou are not my target, _man_. I must hurry and hunt the rest of the pack before I return to my Lady."

"...What, are you preparing for a role in a play?" He asked. He opened his car door and stepped out to look the vehicle over while his rock continued to blast.

"Turn that trash off!"

He looked up at the girl's cry with a scowl. Now she was dissing his music? Oh, no. Fuck _that_ shit.

"Listen, _bitch_," he said with a growl as he stormed around the hood of his car towards her. She had gained her own face of fury for the derogatory term he used. It was actually kind of cute, but he couldn't really appreciate that at the moment. "You were chasing a monster, I can deal with you running on my ride. You're a Hunter, so I can deal with you dissing _me_ because of my gender. But you don't ever, and I fucking mean _ever_, diss my tunes."

"What does thou plan to do about it, _man_?" Amazing how a general term for a human's sex could sound worse than a slur.

"I'm going to break that pretty bow of yours over your head."

Her black eyes narrowed and the 'pretty bow' was aimed at him with an arrow at the ready. "I'd like to see thou try it."

He growled and reached into his pockets with both hands, a set of brass knuckles slipped around his fingers before he pulled his fists out. Red eyes glared into hard black, their forms illuminated by the light of Artemis' moon.

She released the bow and he ducked under the arrow. The sound of glass shattering made him realize that she'd hit his car. _Fucker_!

"Enyo!" He cried as he swung a right cross at her head and bronze gauntlets with spiked knuckles suddenly covered his hands. Faces of pained men howled on the back of his hands as she avoided his punch. The wails made the girl to cover her ears and roll away, more distance now between them.

He started to turn in order to face her properly, one didn't put their back to an enemy, but turned and swung with a powerful left cross at the monster that leapt at him. The spiked knuckles shattered the gryphon's beak and the power behind his punch snapped the gryphon's neck. The black panther-like body crumpled to the ground, the wings twitched once before it dissolved to dust.

"Some Hunter." He couldn't help it, he felt like it had to be said. Call it the war god in him. The Master Antagonizer's voice was always barking demands in his ear. Occasionally, the god's favorite 'poem' chanted in his head.

"_Whenever you fight, you better always win! Cause the second you don't, I'm gonna kick yer head in!_"

Let it be known that Ares was not the 'father of the year'. Then again, it could be said that no god would ever hold that title. Personally, he couldn't give two shits if one did or didn't. He lived by his father's words, the motto of Cabin Five. It was a kill or be killed world he lived in.

And he fucking loved every second of it.

Even when the arrow was shot into his ass.

"Ow! Fuck! Take a joke, bitch!"

"Thou are lucky I didn't aim for thy head!" The Hunter's glare only built onto his anger while he pried the arrow out of his ass. That was the fifth time that happened to him. Stupid arrows.

"Like you'd hit it," he said scathingly as he looked the arrow over. He held it out with a smirk. "Here, something to remember me by."

The Hunter sneered at him. "Pig."

"I'd love some, but all I've got on me is dried beer." He tossed the arrow behind him uncaringly and grunted as he walked back to his car.

"Thou are disgusting."

"And you're a bitch, so I guess we're even." He bent over the passenger door and reached into the glove compartment to grab some nectar he kept in case he ever got injured. The gauntlets on his hands disappeared and returned to their hidden brass knuckle form. He popped the top off the bottle and grabbed his ruined shirt. Thank Olympus he took that Field Medic training Chiron offered. It made recovering from embarrassing injuries so much easier. He dampened the fabric with nectar before he put the top back on the bottle.

"Thy...Thou art...I should kill thee!"

"Better women than you have tried. Most were better shots, too." He snickered at the aggravated growl the Hunter released. Ah, this one had to be a veteran if she wasn't already filling him full of arrows. He'd never seen her when the Hunters of Artemis were at camp, or if he did, he certainly didn't recognize her.

He sighed as he applied the nectar soaked fabric to the bleeding hole in his ass. Chalk up another boon to being a demigod – he got to heal himself before it got too painful or the adrenaline wore off. Mortals could suck his fat one, being a demigod kicked ass.

"So, what brings a Bitchy Hunter to the Middle of Fuckin' Nowhere, USA?" He turned and pressed the nectar and alcohol soaked fabric into the wound as he leaned against his car with his arms crossed over his bare chest. Huh, starting to get cold. Must almost be two in the morning if he was getting goose bumps.

The Hunter's eye twitched and her jaw clenched. She crossed her arms and huffed. "What reason should thy get? I am better off killing thee for the planet."

"I should give you my name for the tombstone then. Name's Naruto. Spelled like this." Naruto tapped on his left shoulder, where the kanji for his name was inked into his arm.

"Nah-rue-toe. What sort of nonsense is that?" The Hunter scoffed. She stuck her slightly upturned nose into the air. "Sounds like an oriental name. Thou are not from the orient."

"Says you. It means 'maelstrom'," Naruto said with a smirk. "Maelstrom of kick ass."

The Hunter rolled her eyes. "Thou are no different than any other _man_."

"Oh, believe me, sweetheart. I'm plenty different from other men." The Hunter gave him a look of disgust and Naruto responded with a blown kiss. She opened her mouth to retort, but the sound of a shrieking roar cut her off. The two looked up and Naruto grinned as his eyes flashed red at the sight of several more gryphons. "Well, well...friends of yours, Sweetheart?"

"Do _not_ call me 'sweetheart', Pig!" The Hunter snarled at him and she drew an arrow back. It flew up at the gryphons at a great speed, but the black furred and feathered monsters easily avoided it. The Hunter cursed. "I hadn't thought the nestlings would've grown so quickly so far south."

"Who cares how fast they grew? They want a fight and they got it!" Naruto ran away from his car – he really didn't want to go through the trouble of stealing another muscle car – and grinned as several branched from the flock...or was it pack? Whatever, they were chasing him and that's all that mattered.

Naruto turned and faced the gryphons with his right fist brought back. His eyes gleamed an excited red that burned more intensely than the gryphon's own. "Come on, birdy! You want some? Come get some!"

"Do not taunt them, fool!" The Hunter yelled after him as she staved off the three that flew circles around her. She had some neat moves with those hunting knives of hers.

"Enyo!" Naruto threw his right fist forward seconds before the gryphon's raven-like talons could reach out to grab him. Like the last gryphon, Naruto's gauntlet covered hand won out over the beak and neck. The black beak cracked and splintered from the spikes in Naruto's gauntlet. The head was forced down, driven into the dirt while the kinetic speed forced Naruto back several feet.

He grinned and looked at the other two gryphons that roared at him as they flapped their wings.

"C'mon then...Let's dance!"

Naruto turned at the hip with his right hand over his shoulder, fingers curled into a fist. His red eyes narrowed and he coiled up just a bit further. He wasn't a son of Athena, but he knew that speed plus strength equaled a whole _lot_ of pain. And much like a compressed spring being released gave off a lot of force, Naruto's spinning backfist punch sent the gryphon soaring back the way it came.

He even gave a smirk to the Hunter after his gryphon collided into one of hers.

Another shrieking roar had Naruto turn to the side, where the third gryphon of his group had decided to stop flying and tried to pounce on him. Naruto caught the talons in his hands and fell back. He drove his boots into the gryphon's stomach and flipped the hybrid monster over him to land on its back and wings. Naruto reared his legs over his head and kipped up, a rather useful ability he learned from his time in camp.

Naruto faced the gryphon as it got back to its feet and the two began to circle each other. Naruto kept his hands out wide while the gryphon hissed and brought its wings up to appear larger. Naruto bared his teeth and snarled back at it. He was an instinctive fighter at heart, so it was easy to perform the "I'm a scarier predator than you are" dance.

The gryphon lost its patience first and leapt at him. Naruto brought his fist back at the ready, his other arm up to catch the monster's weight.

He was severely disappointed when the gryphon exploded into dust before it hit him.

Naruto glared sourly at the Hunter, her smirk proud and haughty as she lowered her bow.

"Thou are welcome," she said.

Naruto's glare didn't let up, even though his red eyes turned back to blue. "You bitch. That was _my_ kill!"

"That is thy problem, not mine." The Hunter smirked at him once more before she began to collect the trophies the gryphons left behind. Black fur pelts with feathers in them. What a lame reward, why not a golden egg? Naruto wouldn't mind raising his own gryphon.

Naruto grabbed the pelts of the gryphons and threw them over his shoulder. He carried them back to the Hunter and tossed them into her arms. She stumbled from the added weight and glared at him as he crossed his arms.

"There you go, Sweetheart. Don't say I never got you nothing," Naruto said with a smirk. He walked back towards his car, only to stop and stare in disbelief. Silver arrows lined the entire left side of his car, the two tires flat and long deflated. Even the poor car scent dispenser had not been spared.

Naruto rounded on the Hunter with murder in his eyes. "Do you know what you've done?"

"What? Did something happen to thy automobile?" she asked innocently. The smirk on her face killed the fantasy of any real remorse he thought she might have had. "What a shame. Perhaps thee should ensure it isn't in the way of crossfire next time thee gets into a fight."

Naruto lifted his hands menacingly, as though he was going to strangle her, before he brought them down to his sides and seethed. "You...Fucking...Bitch."

The Hunter glared at him and dropped the pelts. She stormed up to him and, before he could lift his arms, punched him square in the nose with a solid left punch. Naruto's head flew back and he grunted as he lost his footing. His head and recently healed ass hit the pavement, which elected a strangled yowl that he managed to choke down. Naruto held a hand over his nose and grunted when a silver boot stomped onto his stomach.

"Stop!"

Stomp.

"Calling!"

Stomp.

"Me!"

Stomp.

"A!"

Stomp.

"Bitch!"

The Hunter huffed and gave him a final kick to the side before she stormed back over to the pelts she had dropped. Naruto groaned and rolled onto his uninjured side. He snorted blood from his nose and forced it back into place with a grunt before he got up and glared at the retreating Hunter. Naruto turned, reached into his car, and grabbed the bottle of nectar.

"God...fucking dammit." Naruto threw the cracked bottle at the ground, shattering the empty bottle on the street. He sent another glare to the Hunter and debated whether or not he should try to kill her.

Deciding that it wasn't worth Artemis' wrath to get into another fight with the bitch, Naruto wrapped his arm around his side, to steady his cracked ribs, and began to hobble off towards his current home. His grandmother was going to throw another fit when she saw him stumble back into his house, covered in blood. Again.

"Where dost thou think thee are going?"

"Oh, what the fuck do you want now!?" Naruto roared as he rounded on the Hunter. She was carrying the pelts over her left shoulder and her bow was nowhere in sight. A glare was still on her face and it took all the self control he had – which was not a lot – to not punch her _back_. "You wanna kill me? You wanna keep fighting? Because those are the only reasons I can think of that would make you want to talk to me!"

The Hunter rolled her eyes. "If I didn't have to speak with thou, believe me I wouldn't. However..." She shifted uncomfortably. "Thou art the only demigod around and thou is sure to have more nectar and ambrosia at thy home."

"What? You don't have any? Bullshit." Naruto snorted in disbelief, ignoring the pain in his shattered nose. He watched the Hunter as an uncomfortable grimace crossed her face. An amused, yet annoyed, smirk crossed his face. "No fucking way."

"Be silent."

"You don't have any nectar or ambrosia?" Naruto chuckled. His chuckling turned into pained laughter. "Oh, ho, it hurts to laugh."

"Cease thy amusement!" The Hunter snarled. She grimaced and shifted her right shoulder. Naruto glanced at it and saw a deep gash, a piece of cloth was tied over the wound but it had already bled through.

Naruto grimaced as he debated his next move. On one hand, he did what his father's instincts were telling him to do and to leave the bitch high and dry, but risked Artemis' wrath if he did so. On the other hand, he risked his father's wrath if he tried to help the girl. Weighing the odds in his head, eventually even the voice that sounded like Ares started to tell him that Artemis was _much_ more frightening than the god of war.

Naruto turned and resumed his trek home. He got several feet before he stopped and glared over his shoulder at the Hunter. "You coming or what?"

The Hunter scowled back at him before she quickly caught up to him. They walked in silence for the next two miles until they made it into the small town that he called home in Macary, Texas.

"Where are the people?" The Hunter asked as they walked through the town square. "I thought the entire country had been populated by man."

"Like I said, Sweetheart," Naruto said with a small bitter smile as he led the Hunter towards his home. "Middle of Fucking Nowhere, USA. We got bars, cars, farms and tars...and that's it. Maybe two hundred people in this town. Couple dozen out in the farms. And there's the Macary family, owners of the town property."

The Hunter scowled at him. "Thou will not address me as 'sweetheart'."

"Well you haven't really given me anything else to call you, Sweetheart. It's either that or bi-"

"If thou finishes that sentence, thou will know the pain Zeus felt when his sinews were torn from him."

"Point taken, but you still haven't told me your name." Naruto pointed out.

The Hunter's scowl became more prominent as she thought about telling a male her name. "I am Zoë Nightshade, Lieutenant of Lady Artemis' Hunters."

"...Nightshade?" Naruto asked, amused. He shook his head as he pushed the door to a two-story house open. "And you say my name is weird." He walked into the house. "I'm back!"

"Thy name _is_ strange." Zoë said with a glower. She followed him into the entry hall and through the small living room to the kitchen. There was shuffling above them, which made Zoë look up. "Thou does not live alone?"

"You've got to learn how to speak English," Naruto said as he stumbled into the kitchen. He winced as he reached up into a cabinet and began to look around. "Oh, come the fuck on...Stupid fuckin' old people. Stop messing with the layouts. Putting more fucking medication in the fucking cabinet. God damn, drug addicted motherfucking..."

Zoë scowled at him. "Thy mouth needs a cleansing with a fresh bar of soap."

"Bite me." Naruto shot back. He grinned when he pulled his hand back and held a plastic bag of ambrosia. "Score."

Naruto set the bag on the ground and opened it up. Before he could pull a cube out, he froze when footsteps stomped down the stairs. Naruto closed the bag and shoved it back into the cabinet.

"NARUTO! Do you have any fucking idea of what time it is, you dumb piece of shit?!"

Zoë's mouth was agape at the language while Naruto hurriedly grabbed more modern medication and pulled it out. He paused for a moment before he slapped the pelts off of Zoë's shoulder. The Hunter glared at him, but Naruto ignored it as he tucked his brass knuckles into his pockets and then fumbled with the painkillers lid.

"Just what the fucking Hell do you think you're doing at this hour, Goddammit?" Naruto turned to look at the old woman that stood in the doorway. Her hair was a platinum blonde, once a beautiful shade like his own but now far less so. She smelled like an old folks' home, a hospital, and alcohol. Her honey brown eyes narrowed in suspicion and her hand tightened around the handle of her cane. "Are you trying to steal from your Granny again?"

"No, Granny Tsunade." Naruto rolled his eyes and set the bottle painkillers on the counter. "Go back to sleep, you stupid old hag."

"Back to sleep? Oh, no, dipshit, I'm up now!" Granny Tsunade did a double take when she saw Zoë. She turned back and glared at Naruto. "And who the fuck is she?"

"Uh...Who?"

The old woman's cane came down and nearly cracked Naruto's skull open.

"Ow! You fucking, crazy old bitch!" Naruto whimpered as he held his abused skull.

Granny Tsunade scowled at him and wagged her cane threateningly. "Lying to your own grandmother! Your mother must be getting a noose ready in her cell!"

Naruto glared at the old woman. "Stupid old hag."

"Ungrateful little shit." Granny Tsunade glared right back before she looked at the other occupant of the kitchen. "Well? Speak up, girl! Who are you?"

"Z-Zoë Nightshade, ma'am." Naruto smirked at the Hunter's apprehension. No one fucked with Granny Tsunade, not even Ares. And he tried to. The God of War wound up chewing on his bike's handlebars.

"Nightshade? The hell kind of name is that? You an Indian?" Granny Tsunade inquired, squinting her eyes as she looked over the girl.

"They're called Native American, you dumb old hag." Naruto grumbled as he got back to his feet. He sucked in air when the cane was whacked against his cracked rib. "Gah! Sadistic old bitch!"

"Stop being a rude little shit! Don't you know that you gotta watch your mouth when there's a lady in the house?" Granny Tsunade scolded with another whack from her cane. "And the sheriff called! I thought I told you to stop! Getting! Into! Fights!"

"Fuck! Ow! Senile! Crazy! Ow! Bitch! I! Didn't! Shit! Start! It!" Naruto shot back as he tried to protect himself from her cane.

"You did something!" Granny Tsunade scowled at the blond young adult as she stopped her assault and then looked back at Zoë. She noticed the wound on her shoulder and rounded on Naruto. Her eyes were harder than steel, but ablaze with rage. "Did you cut this girl, boy?"

Naruto's eyes went wide and color left his skin. He may have _tried_ to fight Zoë earlier, but he was running off adrenaline and anger. Clear headed, he'd never get into a physical fight with any girl without any witnesses. What Granny Tsunade would do to him if she found out he ever did...Naruto's skin paled even faster as he shook his head. "N-no, ma'am."

"Then why is she bleeding?" Granny Tsunade's eyes were murderous.

"Car accident!" Naruto blurted out before Zoë could speak. "We-we, uh, got into a car accident. My fault. I should've watched where I was going."

Granny Tsunade's cane struck his cracked rib again and she nodded firmly while Naruto crumpled to the ground, shuddering in pain. "Damn right." The old woman turned and gave a soft smile to Zoë. "Come along dear, I'll get that looked at and fix it up in a jiffy."

Zoë tried to pull away as Granny Tsunade grabbed her arm. "Oh, no, thank you, but I just need some amb-"

"Amber, she just needs some amber," Naruto said quickly, shooting the Hunter a 'shut up or else' glare. He cradled his rib as he got to his feet once more. Granny Tsunade's eyes were on him like a hawk. "Blood loss has made her delusional. She's speaking with 'thy' and 'thou' and 'thee'."

"I am not delusional, thou art-!" Zoë began, only to be cut off by a cluck of Granny Tsunade's tongue.

"Probably some head trauma. Come along, dear. I'll show you to the couch. Naruto! Get yourself cleaned up and get some clothes for our guest." Granny Tsunade ordered as she led Zoë into the other room.

Naruto scowled and matched Zoë's glare when it was sent his way. It wasn't like he wanted the stupid bitch of a Hunter to stay in his home either.

"Naruto, get your ass moving!"

"Yes, Granny Tsunade!"

Then again, it wasn't like he was going to argue about it. Naruto groaned as he went to the back toward his room to grab some spare clothes. He frowned as he walked past a hanging portrait of a red-haired woman in military fatigues standing behind a blond boy with a swollen black eye, both smiling at the camera.

All he wanted to do tonight was have a drink and get some entertainment.

Stupid Hunter.

* * *

**AN: And there's the Ares Naruto. Anyone like it? Not like it? Leave REASONS! Don't just tell me if you do or don't, that's not helpful at all.**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Fearless

**AN: If this were to continue, this would be comprised of four chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Fearless**

* * *

Fear.

It's something that drives humanity, though they try to ignore it. Humans work around fear. They think that they don't need it. Many argue otherwise, that fear is a survival skill. But if that were the case, why is it still needed when humanity is the dominant predator? Why does the top of the food chain need survival skills? Because humanity knows, deep down, that there's something out there to be afraid of.

And they're right. For in the shadows, in every nook and cranny, something watches humanity. They search for something hiding among the humans. Waiting for an opportunity to strike at their prey.

The prey being Demigods.

The result of humans consorting with Gods, the Greek Olympians to be precise, are known as demigods. This isn't new information, but the fact that they continue to exist even to today is. Many famous people in history were children of the gods. George Washington was a son of Athena, the abolitionist Harriet Tubman was a daughter of Hermes, and Adolf Hitler was a son of Hades. These are just a few of the many who had influenced history.

There is one Olympian that has not born a son or daughter, well two, but technically Hestia is no longer an Olympian (by choice mind you). The Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis, much unlike her twin Apollo, has not had a child. She had sworn an oath on the River Styx never to lay with a man or lose her chastity. However, she, like Athena, found a loophole: Artemis had Hunters, her loyal handmaidens that accompanied her on her hunts, but she loved them as though they were her kin. She loved them to the point that she gave them immortality, limited to eternal youth as long as they never fell in battle or broke their vow.

There were moments that Artemis had wished she hadn't made the oath, moments Artemis denies venomously that existed if questioned about her choice.

Now, was not one of those moments.

"Breathe! Breathe and push!" Artemis ordered the screaming redheaded woman. Her silver moonlike eyes flickered to Phoebe, a trusted Hunter and one of the best medics among her group. Artemis had found the woman stumbling through the woods of Colorado, with wounds on her body that made her look like she had just come from a warzone. When Artemis caught her, the redheaded woman murmured words like 'Kyubi', 'Gomenasai', 'Minato-kun', and 'Tenshi-hime.'

But what really caught her attention was the large bump in her stomach, as though the woman had swallowed a beach ball.

Then the trickling water that ran down her leg got the goddess' attention.

Artemis was also the goddess of Fertility and Childbirth, so it was her duty to help this life make it into the world, despite the sex. She'd done the same thing for her twin when she was newly born, so helping the delivery of a baby was rather simple for her.

Ensuring that the mother survived the birth was the challenge.

"She's losing more blood." Phoebe frowned and looked to the hunter seated across from her. "Zoë, I need more mortal medicine."

"I have no more on me!" Zoë snapped. Her irritation was understandable, the redheaded woman was crushing her hand. The Lieutenant of the Hunters let out a cry when the mother-to-be screamed. "By Olympus, her strength matches the Bastard's! Lady Artemis, please get the babe out of her before she crushes my hand to goo!"

"Patience, Zoë, it's coming," Artemis said calmly. She looked down and prepared herself. "The head is crowning. Push! Breathe! Push!"

The woman screamed and the baby came out. The newborn cried loudly and Artemis looked down at it-_him_ with a small smile. She removed the umbilical cord and cleaned up the crying boy slightly. The goddess blinked in surprise as three lines on either of the boy's cheeks refused to come off.

"Odd birthmarks," she said softly. Artemis wrapped the baby in a silver cloak and carried him up to rest with his mother. The goddess put her hand on the woman's shoulder and knelt where Zoë, who fled to get some nectar for her hand, once rested. Artemis held the bundle out to the woman. "A boy."

"Joy, another one."

Artemis sent a glare to her two Hunters. "He is but an infant, a pure soul just born. If I discover which of you said that, I will have you cleaning tunics, bows, and clothes for the others for a year."

Zoë and Phoebe grimaced. Sometimes, eternal youth had its boons, but when you never aged, performing yearly chores was like living through Hell.

"Na-Naruto-kun." The woman's voice brought Artemis' attention back to her. A weak hand reached up and brushed across the crying infant's cheek, the finger stroked one of the birthmarks tenderly. "Naruto..."

"Naruto?" Artemis asked. Her silver eyes met weak purple.

"Naruto." There was so much love in that one word, that Artemis was almost jealous of the baby. The desire to raise and care for the boy in the goddess' arms was intense, and as a goddess of Fertility, it made her jealousy rise. The one thing she had yet to experience as a goddess was motherhood over infants. Many women of Olympus, even that wench Aphrodite, had felt the pains of childbirth, but unlike Artemis, they also reaped the rewards, raising children. Artemis would never know this experience due to her vow.

A soft sigh returned to Goddess' gaze to the redheaded woman, who moved her hand to Artemis' arm and let her eyes fall shut. Her breathing slowed, her head dropped back and her hand fell from Artemis' arm. The baby, Naruto, continued to cry even as Phoebe and Zoë came back to try and revive the woman. Artemis watched her Hunters try to bring the new mother back, but as a goddess she knew the horrible truth. There would be no saving this life. The woman belonged to Hades and Thanatos now.

"Phoebe, place two drachma over her eyes. Zoë, prepare a grave," Artemis said. As her Hunters followed her instructions, Artemis looked down at the now quiet babe cradled in her arms. For the first time in her immortal life, Artemis wasn't sure of what action to take next.

"Milady, what is to be done about the child?" Zoë asked.

Artemis pursed her lips in thought. That was precisely the problem. Artemis wasn't sure _what_ to do with the infant named Naruto. The goddess didn't even know the name of Naruto's mother. She hadn't bothered to ask. All she did was fall back into a role she was familiar with, helping a mother give birth. She'd done it before, but this was the first time that the mother wasn't an immortal or a demigoddess. Naruto was one-hundred percent mortal, the blood in his veins as pure human as they could be.

"Milady?"

"Do as I've requested, Zoë." Artemis adjusted Naruto in her arms and summoned her chariot. "I must go ask for advice. I will not be gone long. When you are finished, return to the camp."

"Yes, Lady Artemis."

* * *

Artemis had not been back to Greece in many years, and hadn't been back to Crete even longer. The woods weren't as exciting as when she was younger, she could walk through each forested area with her eyes closed, ears plugged and godly senses removed by Zeus. Her Hunters had cleared the area of any threats long ago, so there was no real challenge to be had.

A soft cry gained Artemis' attention and she turned to the bundle set carefully in a carrier she'd made with a moment of thought. In the light of her twin's chariot, for the brief moment they'd almost crossed paths, Artemis noted that Naruto could've been easily mistaken as a child of Apollo. She wondered if that was something to be concerned about, but dismissed the thought, as Apollo was not uncaring towards the mothers of his children...even if he often moves on far too quickly for her liking.

Honestly, Apollo could be much more bearable if he had someone to reign him in, but _no-o-o_, he had to be the fatheaded playboy. Of all things he had to inherit from Zeus, it had to be the libido.

"Shush, Naruto, we're almost there." Artemis consoled the crying infant. She landed her chariot in a large yard behind a villa. Artemis picked Naruto up from his carrier and walked around to her deer. She smiled at the four silver deer, their golden antlers sparkled in the sunlight. "Well done. Rest."

The deer snorted in response and began to graze.

Artemis looked down at Naruto, who had calmed himself now that they were out of the chariot. She let her lips spread into a small smile, like many newborns, Naruto was very adorable. Especially with the added 'whiskers' on his cheeks.

"Artemis?" The goddess looked up at the mentioning of her name. She smiled even wider when she saw the owner of the voice that had said it. A woman with eyes a lighter silver than her own and hair as dark as the night sky walked from the villa towards her. She wore a white sun dress of the finest material and her smile looked much like her own.

"Mother." Artemis walked quickly towards her, her smile wide. She met the woman in a hug, mindful of the bundle in her arm. Artemis never felt safer than when she was in her mother's arms, of course she could take care of herself now, but there were some things that made even a god afraid. Typhon for instance, after the first battle with the monster king, both Artemis and Apollo took several days to recover, seeking sanctuary in Leto's love.

Leto pressed her lips against Artemis' head and tightened her arms around her daughter. "Artemis, my sweet moonlight." Leto pulled away and smiled. "Why are you-oh! Well...I never thought you'd break your oath..."

"No! No-no-no-no-no!" Artemis quickly corrected. "No, Mother. Apollo is the one who...has demigods. I have my Hunters."

"Uh-huh. So, you have an adorable bundle with you just to match your eyes?" Leto asked, an amused smile on her face. She took the babe from her daughter's arm and cradled him in her own. "Oh, he's so precious."

"Yes, he-No! Mother, stop distracting me!" Artemis frowned at her mother, who laughed at her and cooed at the infant. Artemis took a deep breath and then crossed her arms. "His mother passed after she gave birth. I stumbled across her in Colorado's woods, she was...not doing well. My Hunters did what they could, but the stress of childbirth on her heart."

"What a shame," Leto said with a frown. She looked back at the blearily blinking baby boy and smiled. "Poor little cutie doesn't deserve to grow up motherless. And a orphanage would eat him up! Insulting, some of those child care locations, it makes my ichor boil! Back in the day, when a child wasn't wanted we ensured it found a home to be raised by someone who'd love it!"

"Mother, you're scaring Naruto," Artemis said as Naruto started to fuss in Leto's arms.

"Naruto?" Leto calmed and looked at her daughter. She let a smile spread across her face. "I thought Apollo was the one that enjoyed the Eastern culture?"

Artemis flushed lightly, her cheeks slightly gold from the ichor. "I didn't name him, Mother, his mother did. Before she died."

Leto hummed and turned back to Naruto, who she calmed easily as she bounced him gently in her arms. The mother of the Letoides smiled at him. "Your momma loved you, didn't she Naruto? Yes she did."

"Mother, focus please?" It was really the one thing that Artemis couldn't understand about her mother, she always seemed to lose focus when babies or children came into view. For the immortal life of her, Artemis just didn't get it.

"Is he a demigod?" Leto asked as she turned and walked back to the villa.

Artemis watched her mother walk off in disbelief before she quickly followed. "Mother! Where are you going?!"

"To prepare a bottle, of course." Leto walked into the building, Artemis hot on her heels. "Now, is he?"

"No."

Leto stopped and turned to face Artemis, shock on her face. "You helped a mortal woman give birth to her _mortal_ son? _You_?"

Artemis scowled. "I am not _that_ bad!"

"You changed one poor boy that stumbled across your camp into a jackelope. His mother had been looking for him for a month before I undid the transformation."

Artemis winced. "He violated-!"

"Your personal space that he didn't know existed?" Leto put one hand on her hip and looked down at her daughter with a frown on her face. Artemis felt like a newborn goddess all over again, not even Zeus made her feel like this. Leto shook her head. "If there's one thing you and your brother got from Lord Zeus, it was your tempers."

"Back to the topic at hand," Artemis said. She did not want to have _this_ conversation with her mother anytime soon. "What should I do?"

Leto stared down at Artemis for another moment before she turned and began to walk off again. Artemis groaned and followed her. "Mother! Stop avoiding the question!"

"I'm not avoiding the question, you're avoiding the answer."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Leto stepped into the kitchen and got out several items. Artemis watched with confused awe as a bottle and baby formula was pulled out.

"Mother...why do you have-?"

"I'm working as a nanny," Leto said with a smile. She twirled her hands and the bottle quickly prepared itself. Artemis knew instinctively that the bottle was perfect for a baby Naruto's weight. "There's a cute little girl named Cassandra here. She and her parents have gone off to Australia. Which is good, I hate using the Mist on them."

Leto began to feed Naruto, smiling as she did, before she looked at Artemis. "You want to ask me for advice on what to do with him. You've already known what you've wanted: You want to raise him."

"Wha-No-!"

"By the Fates, stop lying to yourself Artemis!" Leto frowned at her. She looked back at the feeding infant with a smile. "You took one look at this face and suffered the same fate many women have for eons: you fell in love."

Artemis shoulder slumped. "Must you say it like that?"

"Well, it's true." Leto pouted at her. "Perhaps not romantically, but your first sense of maternal love, _real_ maternal love, came when you cradled this boy in your arms."

Artemis eyes went to rest on the whisker cheeked infant that swallowed formula while he rested in her mother's arms in content.

"Zeus will-"

"Will what? Kill him? Punish you? Why?" Leto asked. "You've broken no law. Little Naruto is not your son by blood. Nor has he forced you to break your oath on the Styx, not that he has room to judge." Leto gained a grimace. "I hear Lord Zeus discovered a new interest. I cannot wait to see how Lady Hera handles this one."

"Mother...the names."

"Yes, yes, whatever." Leto rolled her eyes. "You Olympians, so stingy about being addressed in this day and age. You must _love_ it when you come up in education, or history specials." Leto looked back at Naruto and smiled when she pulled the bottle away. "Such a healthy boy. Well, if you don't wish to raise him, I'm sure Cassandra's parents wouldn't mind raising a son." She winked conspiratorially at her daughter. "I can hear them trying for another when they're at home."

"Mother!" Artemis flushed brightly. The goddess glowered at Leto as she laughed and stole Naruto back from her. Artemis looked down at the whiskered babe as he yawned and she gained a small smile. "...Perhaps, he can be the first tolerable man to walk the Earth."

Leto smiled at the sight and crossed her arms over her stomach. "Perhaps."

* * *

So how did a god react to the news of Artemis, the 'man-hater', taking in an orphaned baby as her own child? To the passerby on Olympus, even this news was considered old. Many of Artemis' hunters were once orphaned demigods or nymphs cast aside by their godly lovers. In any other case, this news would be laughed off as an old joke long since gone bad.

But when one mentioned that this adopted child was a mortal _boy_?

Everything came to a grinding _halt_.

When the news reached the council of Olympus, the Twelve Olympians as they were more commonly known, even Dionysus perked up in interest.

The most interesting reaction, however, came from the king of the gods.

"Artemis cannot come...because she has to feed her...son..." Zeus repeated what the news that Zoë Nightshade, his daughter's most trusted Lieutenant, told him through the Iris Message portal. To say the king of the gods was stunned would be an understatement.

Hera narrowed her eyes as she looked at the hunter. "...Is this a joke, Zoë Nightshade?"

"No, Lady Hera." The Hunter remained on her knees and kept her head bowed as the Olympians stared at her from the other end of the Iris Message. "Milady offers her deepest apologies, but her son refuses to sleep and she has grown concerned. She will arrive once her son is asleep."

A second ticked by before a golden blur shot through the doors of the council chambers. Following the blur was an elated echo of: "I'M AN UNCLE! I'VE GOT A LITTLE NEPHEW!"

"...Well, Apollo's not coming back," Hermes said after a moment of silence passed. His fingers were already blurring across his phone's keypad. He had to get a day off so he could meet the little tyke, too.

"Details. I want details!" Aphrodite demanded of the Hunter. "Who is the father? Who!? I must make sure this man is given the best love life! Gratitude!"

"The boy is mortal, Aphrodite." Athena burst the goddess' bubble. "He is her _adopted_ son."

"That doesn't mean the father shouldn't get rewarded for his part in all of this!" Aphrodite shot back. She tittered happily and clapped her hands. "I've been _dreaming_ of this day. Oh, who to put with this boy? A model? Starlet? So many options, so little time!"

"I wish to know more as well, but not for the same reasons," Poseidon said. He leaned forward in his throne slightly. "Nightshade, where are the boy's parents?"

"The mother is deceased, Lord Poseidon," Zoë said dutifully, her head still bowed. "And the father is nowhere to be found. Possibly dead."

Poseidon stroked his beard in thought. "I see...We must speak with Hades, Zeus. ...Brother?"

Zeus continued to stare at the Iris Message. "...Artemis cannot come...because she has to feed her son..."

Ares slumped over so that his hand supported his head on the arm of his throne. "Yeah, you said that already. Mortal huh? I give him three days before he's eaten by a monster."

"Ares! That's a terrible thing to say!" Demeter chastised the god of war. "Artemis is a powerful goddess and her domain resides over child care. She'll see to it that the seed grows into a tree."

"A beautiful tree. Oh, I wonder how he'll look when he's older. I have to know!" Aphrodite pouted. Both Old Laws and Artemis had banned her from stepping foot in the Hunter's camp. So unless Artemis brought the baby to Olympus, which was highly unlikely since mortals hadn't stepped foot on the mountaintop in centuries, she'd have no clue what the adopted son looked like.

"Stop whining, Aphrodite." Dionysus frowned at the goddess. He made a can of Diet Coke appear in his hand and popped the tab. "I'm just glad he won't be at camp."

Aphrodite gasped, horror written on her face. "But if he's not at camp, how will he meet with any of my babies!? How will he meet any potential girlfriends? Or boyfriends?"

"Ew."

Aphrodite glared at Ares. "You shush, love is pure in any way. Artemis' son will receive the _best_ of love since he has to deal with these insufferable girls!"

"They're not that bad." Hephaestus grunted as he fiddled with a silver mechanical moon. He turned a screw and then looked at the Iris Message. "Nightshade. Give this to Artemis. Tell her I got the other request yesterday."

Looks of shock and disbelief were directed at Hephaestus, but he ignored them.

The machine he had created vanished from his hand and reappeared next to Zoë. The Hunter picked it up and discovered it to be a portable mobile that played a soft "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," complete with extending arms and flashing stars that danced in a circular motion. Zoë bowed deeply. "It shall be done, Lord Hephaestus. I will inform her that you did as she requested."

"Just have her send more silver my way when she needs something else done." Hephaestus grunted. He swiped his hand and the message ended.

"...Dude." Hermes continued to stare at the smith. "You knew?"

"Yeah. So what?" Hephaestus didn't see the big deal. Artemis wanted to keep it a secret when she asked for a mobile a month ago, but he figured that since Nightshade was telling the Olympians, Artemis no longer cared for secrecy.

"...But you knew?!" Hermes pressed on. This was some serious gossip, and it escaped _him_! The god of messengers!

"You knew and you didn't tell _me_?!" Aphrodite asked in shock.

Hephaestus gave her a dry look. "You're really that surprised?"

"...It's the principal of the thing!"

Hephaestus rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Aphrodite glared daggers at him. "Ooh, you'll pay for this _Hephaestus_."

"I'm shaking in my sandals."

"Enough!" The gods looked to the Queen of Olympus when she spoke. Hera had a frown on her face, she detested witnessing Aphrodite and Hephaestus' dysfunctional marriage at work. It was a slight to her domain. Hera turned and glared at her own husband, who continued to mumble the same line. "Zeus!"

"Confound it Hera, I told you I'm holding to the Oath!" Zeus snapped, brought from his broken train of thought at his wife's voice. He blinked and frowned when Poseidon burst into laughter. "What is so funny, brother?"

"You, brother. You seem to be having trouble coming to terms with Artemis' announcement." Poseidon's mirth shone in his eyes. "Along with the proclamation after Hera got your attention."

Zeus glared at his brother and then at his snickering sons. He sat back in his throne and clenched his jaw. "Well, I'm surprised you're not reacting the same way. Artemis is breaking the Old Law!"

"Actually, Zeus, she is not," Athena said. She directed her attention to the center of the council chambers, where a large and old image of text appeared. "The Old Law state that gods cannot raise their own children. Artemis has adopted this mortal boy, so he is not her child, even though at the same time he is."

"I could always use more interns."

"No, Hermes." Zeus glared at the messenger god, who snapped his fingers in disappointment. Zeus turned his stormy gaze back to the text and banished it with a wave of his hand. He gained a thoughtful look. "Artemis will have to explain her reasoning when she returns. When did Apollo run off? It's not like him to leave a meeting."

"...Artemis just announced she adopted a _boy_." Poseidon reminded the king.

Zeus nodded. "Ah. That makes sense."

* * *

"Oh, c'mon, lil' sis! Please, let me hold him?" A handsome youth softly pleaded to Artemis. Apollo had arrived moments after Zoë dropped off the mobile Hephaestus made, and her twin's arrival stirred Naruto from his near sleep. Apollo's arrival was flashy and bright, two things that were not wanted or needed when one was trying to put a baby down to sleep.

"How many times must I remind you that _I'm_ the older twin? And he was almost asleep after hours of crying!" Artemis snapped back in a hushed tone. Her silver eyes returned to the tired blue of Naruto's, but the infant was adamant of not slumbering, not with the new excitement that had entered her tent. His mouth opened in a toothless tired smile and fresh tears brimmed along the edge of his eyes. Artemis withheld a scowl, if Naruto started to cry again she was going to snap a bow over her brother's fat head. "No, no, no, Naruto, shh. No crying. No more tears."

"Uncle's here, no more nightmares," Apollo chimed in, singing softly. He swiped the infant from his sister, earning a venomous glare, and began to rock him gently. "Now hush, little baby don't you cry. Everything's going to be all right."

Artemis watched in slight awe as her irresponsible twin rocked Naruto to sleep. She'd never seen Apollo act this way around an infant, which was understandable considering the last time he spent more than two minutes next to a baby was with Hermes. Apollo never really got over the fact an infant god stole his cows or that he got swindled into not charging Hermes. Sure, the two gods loved to hang around with one another, but there was the occasional spat that went back to Hermes' first crime.

"Stiffen that upper lip, lil' baby I told ya, Uncle's here to hold ya through the night." Apollo grinned as the baby in his arms yawned and his eyes drifted shut. "We don't know why; we feel how we feel inside. Your life's gonna be crazy, little baby, but I promise, it'll turn out all right."

"...I hate you. So much." Artemis declared softly as she watched Naruto sleep. Apollo did in _seconds_ what had taken her _hours_. She was going to break three bows over his head...after he taught her how in the name of Tartarus he did that.

Apollo grinned at her as he went over to the crib and sent the infant in. "Ah, don't be jealous that he likes me more, Lil' Sis. Lil' Nephew knows who's got the most swagger."

"I am _not_ the younger!" Artemis hissed. She walked over and brushed past her twin, covering Naruto's form in a silver blanket. A gold blanket appeared atop it with a smiling cartoonish sun on the middle. Artemis turned and gave her twin a baleful glare. "Seriously?"

"Babies gotta be warm, and it gets chilly in Colorado," Apollo said with a nod. He crossed his arms and looked down at the sleeping baby. "So...Mortal, huh?"

"Yes," Artemis said with a small frown. She'd already had the worrisome thought of mortality when one of the Hunters' wolves got too close to Naruto for her liking.

"What's his name?"

"Naruto." Artemis smiled lightly as she brushed one of the whisker marks on his cheeks.

Apollo arched a golden brow. "I thought you didn't know Japanese."

"His mother named him before she passed." Artemis frowned. "I thought him at first to be one of yours. But once he was born, I knew he was not a demigod."

"So we got a dead mother, a dad that's MIA and now a goddess raising a mortal," Apollo said. He rubbed his chin. "That sounds like a bad anime. Well, with the right staff, I think it could be good."

"You're such a block head." Artemis sighed.

"Says the one raising a boy with a name that means 'fishcake'."

Artemis glared at him. "Do not call Naruto a fishcake."

"That's what his name means," Apollo said with a grin. He shrugged. "Well, that or 'maelstrom'. But, c'mon, it was more likely that the pregnant woman was thinking about food when she picked the name." At Artemis' infuriated glare, Apollo quickly added. "Which was most likely many months before she died."

"Be grateful that Hermes taught you how to pull your foot from your mouth."

"Harsh." Apollo looked down at the baby and scratched his head. "So...have you thought about what'll happen when you've got to kick him out?"

Artemis' silver eyes grew cold. "That won't happen for years!"

"Which move by _very_ fast for us," Apollo said pointedly. He crossed his arms. "I saw it, sis. Kid's life is going to be crazy. And that's not counting _after_ he gets booted from the Hunter's Camp."

Artemis frowned at her twin. "I'll be at Olympus shortly."

"Sorry, sis. Truth hurts." Apollo shrugged. He vanished with light bending around him, a warm air left from where he once stood.

Artemis looked back at her adopted son and ran her hand over his head gently. Her eyes lost their cold edge to them and warmed greatly. She knew that a time would come when she had to dismiss Naruto, and she would deal with it then. For now, she would enjoy the peace with him, the moments they would make.

After she explained the situation to Zeus and forbade Aphrodite from bothering him.

* * *

Time was a fickle thing for immortals. They were everlasting once they reached a certain point in their growth, so they cared not for the measurement of time. A second to humanity was hardly a heartbeat to a god. A day, barely even a blink. Years passed like hours when one was immortal. When one had the ability to retain every second of every minute of every hour in every day of every week of a year, time became cheap, but what was priceless was the moments made. The history that the Olympians witnessed unveil before them was what helped them realize when times changed.

For humanity, time was precious. More valuable. Time flew by before one knew what happened. Time was fleeting, ever changing. A day could feel like an hour, or an hour could feel like a day. Seconds could feel like an eternity, while a year could sneak past without one being the wiser.

Blue eyes cracked open as a cloud passed overhead. The star covered night sky twinkled above the owner of the eyes. The sounds of cars honking in the distance filled the air, the sounds of Richmond coming back to focus. A teenage boy, no older than fourteen, stretched his arms up in front of him. He wore dark pants, boots, silver leather gloves one might see on an archer and a white long sleeved shirt with a crescent moon over his chest. His clothes were tight and fit his well developed form perfectly, lowering wind resistance and allowing him greater speed.

The teen rolled his legs back over his head and kipped up to his feet. He walked over to the ledge of the building he napped on and grabbed a belt with several pouches attached to it, which he then slipped on. He grabbed a silver cloak and drew it around himself, the hood down allowed the light breeze to blow his hair.

The youth looked over Hell's Kitchen, the area he'd chosen as his territory. The part of the city where the unappreciated lived and the ones who wanted to hide hid well. Not exactly where he'd thought he'd call home when he was a child, but it grew onto him quickly.

It was his duty to protect his territory, and all those within. Regardless of gender.

It was how his mother told him nature worked: the top of the food chain would protect their territory from unwanted predators.

A gunshot rang out and he looked over to the side.

He was also to deal with unwanted scavengers.

His eyes narrowed and he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a silver cloth that he tied over his mouth to conceal six whisker-like marks on either cheek, and then pulled up the hood of his cloak to keep the cloth from being reached and his near golden hair from being identified. The teen climbed onto the ledge of the building and waited. And waited. And waited.

A gunshot rang out again.

The youth turned on the ledge and ran towards the origin of the gunshot. He leapt without hesitation to the nearby building's ledge, crossing a ten foot gap with ease. He had prey to catch, there was no time to be afraid. The teen ran for a few blocks across the rooftops before he spotted two masked men on the street below. They rounded the corner of a building, and he quickly raced ahead of them.

The masked and cloaked teen jumped from the ledge to a fire escape on the next building. He went over the edge and dropped from one level to the next, catching himself with his hands. From the third level, he pushed away and landed on a flickering street light. After the first masked man ran past, he dropped, landing on the second with both feet.

"Ahh! Mikey!" The assaulted man cried out. The teen quickly disarmed him and then reached into his pouch. A silver arrowhead was pulled out and tossed into the light overhead, encasing them in darkness. The man screamed in horror and the teen pounced on his prey.

Almost half a block ahead, the other masked man stopped and turned back. "G-Greg? You-you okay man?"

The masked man's question was answered by the sound of punches and anguished cries for help. The gunman took several steps back, but stopped when something silver flew from the shadow and into the next street light, shattering it and encasing the small illuminated area in darkness. Then another took out one that was closer to the would-be thief, which made it seem like the shadows had begun to chase him.

It was at that point that the masked man decided to try and run again.

The teen grinned behind his mask.

He loved the thrill of the Hunt.

As the teen chased the masked thief, he tossed more silver arrowheads at any source of light, extinguishing them instantly. He may not have his mother or uncle's skill with a bow, but his accuracy was on par with his adopted sisters and cousins. His uncle taught him that humanity loved to live in the light, and that monsters thrived in darkness.

His mother corrected the lesson, saying that it was predators that thrived in the darkness. They embraced the shadows of Hades, allowed his presence to conceal their own. Sure, his mother's lessons focused on hunting in wilderness, but he figured that it would hold true in what was called a concrete jungle.

So far, he hadn't been wrong.

Tired of the chase, he pulled out a curved crescent-shaped shuriken and tossed it at the masked man. He had based it off of a gag gift from his uncle on his seventh birthday. Actually, most of his current attire was inspired by his uncle. Particularly after the god of the sun gave him a copy of Moon Knight. The Egyptian thing was weird, though. His mother never mentioned anything about the Egyptian gods.

A puzzle for another day.

_Focus on the task at hand._

Right.

"Ack!" The crescent shuriken caught the man in the back of the knee, and he fell hard into the cement. The teen threw two more arrows at nearby street lights, which encased the area in shadows. He walked up to the masked man and plugged the barrel of his gun with an industrial nail when the man aimed it at him. The masked man pulled the trigger and cried out as he nearly blew his hand off.

The teen kicked the gun aside and pushed the man onto his back with his foot.

"D-Don't kill me! Please!"

For some reason, the youth felt like he was suffering from déjà vu.

_Focus!_

Blue eyes narrowed and the teen grabbed the man's shirt. He tore the mask away, revealing a rugged man with a chipped tooth from his earlier fall.

"I'm not going to kill you." He narrowed his gaze. "I'm _warning_ you and other scumbags like you: Hell's Kitchen is _mine_. Stay out."

"Y-Yeah, yeah! I'll spread the word! Oh God, please don't hurt me."

"Spread the word." A fist collided with the man's temple and he was knocked out cold. The teen let him fall back to the ground and he looked to the bag discarded to the side. He grabbed the bag and opened it. A bag of money was within.

The teen doubled back and grabbed the other bag. Before he could leave, the other masked man grabbed his leg.

"Wait! I-I need that money!"

The teen turned and looked at the bruised thief, his eyes hard. "Get a job."

"No, please! They're gonna kill my daughter if I don't give them the money! Here, here, see?" The man fumbled around in his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. He pulled out a picture and held it up. "Here. This is Sarah. She's only seven, please. I can't go to the cops. They're crooked! Please, I don't care if I go to jail, you-you gotta do something, man. Sarah doesn't deserve to die for my mistakes!"

He took the picture and, after a moment of silence, knocked the man out with a kick to the head. Blue eyes looked back at the small picture of a happy brunette in his hand. He grabbed the other duffle bag and slid the picture in his pocket.

"I agree. Sarah doesn't deserve to die for your mistakes." The teen walked into the shadows of the nearest alleyway and left, leaving the two unmasked men unconscious.

* * *

Blue eyes stared at the image of the girl, Sarah, which was appropriated from the would-be criminal. It was pinned to a wall, along with many other newspaper clippings that covered stories of disappearing children. It was the seventh abducted child, but unlike the previous six, the parent hadn't gone to authorities.

Smart.

Some of the cops in this city were crooked. _Some_. Not all. You had to know who could be trusted. That was why most of the girls were still missing, or most likely dead. Parents didn't know who could be trusted.

The young vigilante did.

He reached over and grabbed the landline phone of his apartment, a gift from his uncle on his thirteenth birthday. He pressed the appropriate numbers and then hit the star key. The phone rang eloquently before it was answered.

"_Hello?_"

"Uncle Fred."

"_Naruto! Excuse me, babe, my lil' nephew's on the line. Huh? Yeah, a sister. I'll explain it later – Naruto! Lil' nephew! How's Richmond treating you? Wanna move west? I still need a wingman~!_"

Naruto cracked a small smile at his uncle's enthusiasm. "Sorry, Uncle Fred, but I like Richmond. School's nice and the night life is wild."

"_Not too wild, though, right? Your mother will kill me if you got hurt. I said I'd cover your expenses and keep an eye on you, ya know._"

"I'm fine, Uncle. I need some help on one of my afterschool projects."

"_Lay it on me, kiddo._"

"A lot of kids are getting kidnapped."

"_...This sounds like something the police should worry about, not me._"

Naruto frowned. "What if it was one of my cousins?"

"_...Dammit, I hate that you can guilt me like that._" The speaker on the other end groaned. "_Alright, kiddo. You've got my attention._"

"Seven children, mortals, between the ages of five and ten. Six are still missing, but all have asked for ransoms." Naruto explained. He went over to the wall and ran his finger over a part of an article. "The drop is five hundred thousand and the location is at a park bench. Surveillance always seems to go wonky after the drop is made and the police on stakeout always seem to forget what the pickup look like."

"_Crooked. This is getting interesting. Like issue fifty of-!_"

"Uncle." Naruto cut his uncle off before he went on one of his tangents. "You can tell me what comic it's like after I find the kids."

"_Or what remains._"

Naruto glowered. "Yeah."

"_Sorry, Naruto. Truth hurts._"

"I know, Uncle Fred." Naruto rubbed his head and groaned. "What's your advice?"

"_...Leave it to the police?_"

"Aside from that?"

"_You just love to get me on your mother's bad side, don't you? Ugh, man, if she finds out this was my idea, I'm dead. D-E-A-D. And I really don't want that to happen yet._"

"Uncle..."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end and Naruto grinned. "_You are so lucky you're my only lil' nephew. Okay, advice...I'd check the docks._"

"No, the docks are owned by Kingpin. He's into drugs, weapons and human trafficking, not kidnapping and ransom. They'd have to pay a heavy fee to operate there," Naruto said. He grimaced as he recalled his last encounter with Richmond's lord of crime. The fat bastard even looked like Wilson Fisk.

"_Point taken-Wait, did you call him Kingpin? Ha! I knew it! Marvel fan all the way! Next movie, you and me are hitting premiere night here in L.A., no excuses!_"

"Yeah, fine, sure. Uncle Fred, focus," Naruto said with a soft groan. His uncle was so excitable sometimes. Sure, it made him awesome to hang out with, but over the phone it was exhausting.

"_Right, right, right, sorry Naruto. Hm...Any suspicious abandoned warehouses?_"

Naruto frowned and walked over his bed to a detailed map of Richmond, including various locations photographed and pinned around the map. "There's an abandoned ironworks near the old Green Manor. Hey, there's someplace that kids could go missing. Maybe I should check that place out."

"_No!_"The other end went quiet for a moment after 'Fred' shouted. "_No. Naruto, listen to me. Under no circumstances are you to go anywhere near Green Manor._"

Naruto was taken aback at the grave tone his uncle had used. He'd never been this serious about something before. It was suspicious. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Alright, I won't go to Green Manor. I swear on my mother's oath."

That seemed to have satisfied his uncle, as he let out a relaxed sigh. "_Good. Good. Okay, well, aside from that place and the Ironworks. Anywhere else? Some old buildings in Hell's Kitchen, maybe?_"

"Yeah, I should search Hell's Kitchen first." Naruto nodded, his eyes glued to the picture of the abandoned manor. "Good idea. Thanks for the help, Uncle Fred."

"_Anytime, lil' nephew! Hey, but I'm serious about that next movie premiere. I can even set you up with some starlet if you want~! What? Yes, I do know movie stars. How? I'm a producer, baby! Yeah, paying for my nephew's school, too. My lil' sis is busy working all the time, so I'm covering some big financial issues for her. Wanna see some pictures?_"

Naruto shook his head. He wasn't going to listen to his uncle butter up some girl. That was gross. "Goodbye, Uncle Fred."

"_Huh? Oh, right. Bye, Naruto! Have a nice one!_"

"You too, Uncle Fred." Naruto waited for the call to end on his uncle's side before he hung up. He looked back at the picture of the abandoned ironworks and then down at the old Green Manor. His brows narrowed and his eyes frosted over. "What are you hiding at the Green Manor, Uncle Fred?"

* * *

When his mother's chariot took to the sky again, Naruto made his way to the abandoned ironworks mill. Scrap iron and obvious signs of vandalism were everywhere. The young vigilante scowled behind his cloth mask. Talk about a dump.

It was a perfect place to hide a body. Or hold a kid hostage.

As he walked towards the main building, metal shifted behind him and Naruto turned to face the source, three arrowheads in his left hand between his fingers ready to be thrown. He relaxed once he saw the rat that had shifted the metal. Naruto turned and resumed his stealthy trek to the main building, and as he drew near, he heard voices.

"Yeah, we're gonna have another easy five hundred thou!" A deep voice laughed. "This is the easiest money I've ever made. Even easier than some of White's payoffs!"

Naruto crouched down and sneaked up to the side of the brick wall. He peered through a broken portion of the wall and looked through the hole. Three men, dressed in dark clothes, were in the center of the mill. Two were shoveling while a third held a small sack over his shoulder.

"And the best part of it is the rest of the guys in the precinct are looking for people with history!" One of the diggers laughed.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. The man's sentence implied that they were cops. That explains why the equipment was faulty and the cops' lies about being discovered. His eyes went to the sack over the third man's shoulder. There was a dark patch on it, barely visible in the light of the men's lanterns.

_At least we found the bodies._

Naruto's nostrils flared behind the cloth mask that hid his birthmarks. He slipped the arrowheads back into his pouch and pulled out six crescent shuriken. He was going to make sure these men suffered before they were delivered to the right authorities.

"Can you hurry up? This stupid thing is getting heavy!" Naruto listened to the corpse carrier complain as he scaled the brick wall quietly and expertly. "My arm's going numb and if I'm not back in time for dinner, the wife's going to kill me."

"Hey, man, we're digging as fast as we can. Just set the thing down, it's not like anyone's going to see what's inside."

_Little do they know._

Naruto crouched atop the edge of the broken wall and prepared his shuriken. The man that held the bag started to set it down. Naruto waited until the man righted himself before he let the first shuriken fly. There was a soft whistle as the crescent shuriken descended on its target. The man who was not digging was struck in the throat and dropped to the ground with strangled gasps.

"What the Hell?" One of the diggers looked over at their fallen companion. "Johnny, you all right?"

The concerned digger fell to the ground after a shuriken flew into his cheek. Naruto had wanted to use the arrowheads on them, but these were not animals to be slaughtered. Not yet anyway.

"Sarge!" The other digger threw his shovel down and pulled a pistol from his hip. "C-Come out! Don't mess with us! W-We're workin' for the Kingpin! We're cops on his payroll!"

From his perch and keen eyesight, Naruto could tell it was the standard police issued variant. Naruto's blood boiled. These men –no, these _monsters_ swore an oath to protect the people in the city, _his_ territory, but chose instead to succumb to their greed. They threatened innocents – killed _children!_ – to get what they wanted.

In an instant, Naruto made a new plan.

One of these three would live, if only to reveal to the proper authorities where the bodies and Sarah were. The other two would be dealt with immediately. This city was _Naruto's_ territory, he was responsible for everyone within it, and he would protect it to his dying breath from scum like these three.

Naruto hissed lowly and let his voice echo through the building. "_Monsters!_"

The one he got in the throat joined the other, both had their pistols out and were back to back. Naruto leapt to the overhanging rafters and his movement made a brick fall. The jumpy corrupt cops turned and fired multiple times at his previous location.

"_Murderers!_" Naruto accused before he fell to a closer walkway that hardly creaked when he landed.

"Come out here and show yourself!" The uninjured cop cried out. "W-We're cops! F-For Kingpin! He hired us-!"

"_LIARS!_" Naruto snarled as he jumped to a lower balcony. "_You are not men, you are dogs!_"

"Come out!"

Naruto dropped down and landed on the stomach of the downed criminal, knocking the wind from him and ensuring that he remained unconscious. The two frightened criminals turned on him and pulled their triggers, but the revolvers clicked, signaling the lack of ammunition. They dropped their guns and backed away as Naruto rose up to match their height – growth spurts, while painful, paid off – with his cloak draped around him and his hood shadowing his visible features.

"W-We'll just make a plea! A deal! You got nothin' on us! Nothin! They need us to find that other brat!" The one unharmed _thing_ (as Naruto had no desire to label what was before him as either man or monster) proclaimed proudly. He-no, _It_ held its wrist out and smirked. "We surrender, lock us up!"

The injured thing backed away and reached for the lantern behind him. Naruto threw an arrowhead and watched it tear through the thing's arm. Another arrowhead went through the mouth when it gave a silent scream. It dropped to the ground, coughs escaped the mouth along with blood.

The uninjured thing fell to his rear and scooted away as Naruto stalked forward, his cloak giving him the appearance of a vengeful spirit. The cowardly thing held its hands out. "What? What are you waiting for! You can't kill us! You gotta arrest us! Arrest me! ARREST ME!"

"No." Naruto growled. His arms shot out and his hands latched onto the coward's shirt. He pulled the thing close so that he could stare it in the eyes while it stared into the shadow that covered his face. "_Men_ get arrested. _Dogs_ get put down."

Naruto turned and threw the thing at a pile of iron scraps. He watched the thing as it was impaled and injured fall to the ground. It tried to crawl away. Naruto stayed on it as it mumbled and whimpered in pain. He stepped down on a shard imbedded in the back of its leg and ignored the scream that came from it.

"Where's the girl?" He demanded.

"A-arrest me!"

Naruto snarled and grabbed the thing by the back of its head. He dragged it to the hole that had been dug and tossed it in.

"W-What are you doing!?"

Naruto didn't answer. He reached into his pouch and pulled some excess survival gear that was first given to him when he left his mother's camp. He idly wondered if she'd approve of his actions, then quickly dashed the thought away.

Frankly, Naruto didn't care what his mother thought right now.

This was the only justice these things deserved.

Naruto pulled out a small box and looked around. He found a red container near the unconscious third and grabbed it. The thing in the hole saw what he had and began to plead and beg, something about a wife and kids.

It only made Naruto angrier.

"You _were_ a father. You lost the right to call yourself that when you let that first child _die_."

The thing burst into sobs as Naruto poured the contents of the red container onto him. It was at this moment that the unconscious thing started to come around. Naruto emptied the last of the liquid on the thing and tossed the container aside. He walked over to the bleary thing and grabbed it by the face.

"Are you a sergeant of the Richmond Police District, yes or no?" The thing didn't answer and Naruto growled at it before he shook its head. "Answer me! Yes or no?!"

"Y-Yes."

Naruto dropped the things head to the ground and searched him for a pistol. He found it along with handcuffs and a cellphone. After he tossed the pistol far away, he forced the thing into being cuffed behind the back. Naruto then dialed the emergency number and turned the speaker phone on.

"_Nine-One-One, what's you're emergency?_"

"C-Cathy! It's Sergeant O'Malley, shield number twe-!"

"Quiet!" Naruto snarled. He glared at the phone. "This message is to be recorded and released to the media or I'll deliver this _man's_ remains to the mayor's doorstep."

"H-Help!"

"Shut up!" Naruto barked at the man in the hole. He grabbed Sergeant O'Malley by the head and lifted him up. "You are going to tell that woman where Sarah is, or I'm going to throw you in the fire next."

"W-What fire?"

"_Fire? Hello? Sergeant O'Malley?!_"

"Tell her what you did!" Naruto snarled. He opened the small box in his other hand and pulled out a match. He dragged it across Sergeant O'Malley's head, igniting it, and held it in front of the thing's eye. "Watch. Carefully."

The corrupt sergeant watched in anger that quickly turned to horror as the match was tossed at the doused thing in the hole. The thing lit up in flames and started to scream. Naruto looked back at the sergeant, who began to tremble.

"I did it."

"Speak up!" Naruto snarled as he adjusted his hold on the sergeant.

"I DID IT! I KIDNAPPED THE KIDS! I RIGGED THE DROPS! I KILLED THE BRATS ONCE I GOT THE MONEY!"

"_W-what?_"

"Where's Sarah!?" Naruto demanded.

The sergeant glared at him with hate in its eyes. "I hid her in the back of my squad car."

Naruto glared right back and tightened his grip on its face. He dragged it over to the burning thing and held the back of its head against the fire. "Where _exactly_?"

"Thirtieth Precinct parking lot! Back of the lot! Car number two-two-seven-oh! It burns!"

Naruto pulled its head away from the fire and tossed it to the ground, he kept a foot on its chest to keep it from rolling away. He grabbed the phone and picked it up. He ended speakerphone. "Did you get all of that?"

"_Yes. Sir, what is your location? Where are you? What is your name?_"

An explosion earned Naruto's attention and he looked out the far window to see a large blaze of fire. He squinted his eyes and made out a few familiar details among the flames.

"The main building of the old ironworks across from the Green Manor. I'd bring a few fire trucks, if I were you."

* * *

Naruto left the corrupt sergeant handcuffed and once again unconscious next to the burnt corpses of his companions. He slipped out through a hole into the next room and left the main building when he heard sirens. He ducked into an alleyway along the building to the far side of the iron works and almost ran into someone as he did.

"Whoa!" His would be collision stopped and backed up. A sword was drawn and pointed at him. The boy was lanky, a bit on the skinny side, and a few inches shorter than himself. Like him, he had blond hair and blue eyes, but there was a glint of some unrecognizable emotion in the boy's eyes.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked at the weapons pointed his way. The boy's sword was impressive, as was the bronze spear pointed at him. It belonged to a girl a year or two younger than him. She was actually kind of cute, in a punk-like way. She was sort of an extreme contrast of his half-sisters. However, what really drew his attention was her shield strapped on her arm.

He pointed at it. "You have an _ugly_ shield."

Probably not the reaction they expected.

The girl leaned over to the tall boy. "Isn't he, I dunno, supposed to run screaming at the sight of my shield?"

"Maybe it only works on monsters?" the boy whispered back.

"Monsters?!" Naruto looked down at the girl's legs, where a young blonde girl, no older than six or seven, hid behind her. Her eyes were a mesmerizing gray that he'd never seen before. There was a weapon in her hands that shook slightly in fear, probably a dagger. Overall, she was a cute kid.

"No, Annie, there's no monsters...I think." The boy gave Naruto a wary glance.

Naruto held his hands up cautiously. "I'm not a monster." Slowly his hands reached up to his hood and pulled it back, revealing his hair and eyes. "See?"

"See what? You're still hiding your face!" The girl accused, her electric blue eyes narrowed.

Naruto grimaced behind his cloth. "That's...because I'm severely disfigured."

"Uh-huh, that's believable." The boy raised his sword up slightly.

"Er...I'm protecting my secret identity?" Naruto tried. He really didn't want to get into a fight with these demigods. And he _knew_ they were demigods. He was raised by the Huntress after all, this sort of thing was not new to him. He'd even been there when some demigoddesses accepted his mother's offer.

That made the boy pause. He leaned back to the older girl. "How many monsters are that good with books?"

"I still don't trust him." The girl grumbled with a glare.

Naruto grimaced at the sound of dogs barking, he was out of time. He gave the demigods a look. "You guys need a place to crash?"

"We're not going to follow you anywhere."

Naruto arched a brow and risked a look back at the main building. There were several canine units on the scene, and the living _thing_ was being escorted to an armored car. He looked back at the three. "So, you'd rather deal with mortal police, then?"

The two older kids tensed while the little girl, Annie, ducked behind the older girl's leg. "I don't wanna go home!"

"I know, Annie." The older girl shushed her. She glared back at Naruto. Her nose looked kinda cute scrunched up like that. "Listen _pal_, the second you try something..."

"Gut me. Yeah, I get it." Would not be the first time a girl threatened him with bodily harm. Some Hunters were told to keep away from him after one threat got too...detailed. Naruto shook the memory off and pulled his hood up. "C'mon, there's a sewer we can go through. It'll help conceal your scents."

"Our what?" Annie asked.

"I'll explain later." The older boy lowered his sword slightly, his wary gaze locked on Naruto.

Naruto shook his head and began to walk away. "Just follow me."

* * *

Naruto led the three demigods back to the heart of Hell's Kitchen and snuck them into his apartment. There, he got out a lot of portions of food and offered the bathroom to whoever needed it. Annie disappeared in there first, with the older girl acting as guard to the bathroom. Poor little kid slipped and nearly fell into the sewer water if the other boy hadn't caught her.

While the boy checked the food for possible poisons, if the way he was sniffing meant anything, Naruto went into his room to quickly change into running shorts and a loose orange shirt. When he emerged, the blond and the girl stared at him and he sighed. "They're birthmarks. I don't know why I have them. Please don't ask."

"...So, Whiskers..." The girl smirked when Naruto groaned at the nickname. "Why are you helping us?"

Naruto grabbed an apple from the pile the boy was making and plopped down on his couch. "Because you're demigods. You guys _always_ need help."

"I don't _always_ need help!" The girl shot back heatedly.

"Thalia, chill," the boy hissed lowly.

Naruto arched a brow. "Wasn't that the name of a daughter of Zeus?"

The girl, Thalia, glared at the older boy. "Way to go, Luke. Now he knows our names."

"You didn't have to tell him mine!" Luke protested with a frown.

Thalia ignored him and glared back at Naruto. "Yeah. I'm Thalia. Daughter of Zeus."

Oh.

That's bad.

That's _really_ bad.

Naruto thankfully didn't let his concern show – thank you Uncle Fred for teaching poker – and calmly bit into his apple. "Really? So, you can fly and stuff, right?"

Thalia's cheeks reddened and she looked away slightly. "Sure, yeah, whatever."

"She's better with lightning bolts and static electricity," Luke said.

If Naruto hadn't caught Thalia's reaction, he wouldn't have known Luke was covering for her. The young vigilante took another bite of his apple. "That's cool. What about you?"

Luke gained a light grimace. "Hermes."

Well, it seemed both of them had daddy issues. Then again, Naruto wasn't really one to talk. He wanted to punch his father square in the face when he met the man, be it if he was alive or dead. Seriously, letting his pregnant wife get so injured and then leaving his son to wander aimlessly? So not cool.

"Are you a demigod?" Luke asked. Naruto stopped mid bite and considered his next course of action. The two had already tensed when he paused, and he was pretty sure he saw Thalia reaching for her hidden spear. Naruto finished his bite before he answered.

"I'm not a demigod." He watched them and waited for them to react. It seemed as though they were going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Awesome. "I am one hundred percent human."

"But you can see our weapons?" Thalia narrowed her eyes.

"Yes."

"How?"

Naruto took another bite of his apple. "I'm clear-sighted."

"Clear-sighted?" The two frowned in confusion.

Naruto nodded. "Clear-sighted. The Mist, the thing that makes mortals not see monsters or weapons, does not affect me. I was born with the ability, and was taught how to ignore or avoid monsters that I had no reason to fight."

"And if you couldn't ignore or avoid them?" Thalia pried.

Naruto finished his apple and tossed it in an arc so it landed perfectly in the trash can across the room. He grinned. "I've got ways of self-preservation."

"...Okay, not gonna lie, that was a nice shot." Luke praised.

"Thanks. My uncle taught me how to do that."

The door to the bathroom opened and the little girl named Annie came out with a smile on her face, despite her hair being slightly wet. "I'm all done, can I eat now?"

Despite himself, Naruto smiled at her cuteness. He caught a glare from Thalia, who then gave him the 'watching you' signal, before she ducked into the bathroom to clean up next. Naruto's attention returned to Luke and Annabeth. He watched Luke prepare food for her and laugh at her observations. Naruto learned she was a daughter of Athena, and then found himself assaulted by hundreds of facts about various locations in Virginia.

When Thalia finished in the restroom, Luke went next. Thalia was far more pleasant to Annie, or Annabeth as the girl insisted her name was. It was understandable, the horrors of real life were to be hidden from children, as much as they could be. That's what Zoë said anyway.

A few hours passed before the group went to sleep. Thalia insisted the other two sleep while she took the first watch. Thalia's eyes were on Naruto like a hawk as he cleaned the small mess the demigods made.

"I don't mind it, you know." Thalia jumped slightly when Naruto spoke.

Thalia's eyes narrowed. "Mind what?"

"Your distrust. I've seen it before," Naruto said with a smile. He put the dishes on the rack and dried his hands with a towel. "You three aren't the first demigods I've met."

"I figured that." Thalia scoffed. She looked around the apartment. There was a significant absence of family pictures. "So...you live with your uncle?"

"Nope."

Thalia blinked. "Mom? Dad?"

Naruto plopped down on the couch and stretched, his back popped. "Nope. Left mom when I was twelve."

"You ran away?"

"I _left_." Naruto corrected sternly. His jaw flexed slightly as he laid his head back and let his eyes fall shut. "Had to."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Naruto let a faint smile cross his face, his eyes still closed. "My sisters were starting to drive me nuts."

"...You have sisters?" Naruto cracked an eye open at the soft tone in Thalia's voice. There was a lot of hurt she was trying to hide.

"Yeah. Older sisters." Naruto let another grin cross his face as he looked at her. "They're awesome. A bit...hardheaded sometimes, but they've got good hearts."

"...D...Did you hate them?"

Naruto let his head roll back and stared at the ceiling. "No. I love them. And I'm a bit jealous of them."

"Why?"

Naruto closed his eyes again and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "...They got to stay with my mom..."

He had a lot of hurt to hide, too.

"You should wake Luke up and get some sleep, if you want Annabeth to get a full night's rest."

After a few moments of silence passed by, Thalia quietly decided to follow his advice.

* * *

The next evening (since the demigods needed all the sleep they could get), Naruto changed back into his usual night gear, his hood and mask in place. If the two older demigods asked why he had decided to wear it, he would tell them that it would be to keep the young impressionable Annabeth's mind clear of worry, seeing as she thought that knowing a real superhero was cool – and she found his collection of Moon Knight comics. If his Uncle Fred decided to ask, it would be because the clothes attracted girls, because he was 'mysterious'. If his mother were to ask, it would be to better hide when he needed to.

In reality, it was because Naruto felt more comfortable leaving town with his most prized possessions on hand.

"So, is there any reason you decided to come with us?" Thalia asked the cloaked boy that walked ahead of them. He volunteered to lead them out personally instead of just give directions. It was suspicious.

"I needed to stretch my legs. Hang on." Naruto stopped by a newspaper dispenser and purchased a paper from the day before. The demigods hurried after him as he kept walking. He looked at the front page and smirked behind his mask.

"What're you reading?" Luke asked.

Naruto crumpled the paper up and tossed it into the next trash bin, his eyes twinkled happily. "Just some good news."

Luke lingered and reached into the trash bin while Naruto, Thalia and Annabeth walked on. He pulled the paper out and read the title story with furrowed brows. The front page had three pictures. One was of a tearful girl around Annabeth's age with brown hair being pulled from the trunk of a police car by an EMT. The other was of two body bags. The last was a mug shot of a beaten man scowling at the camera.

"'Kills Corrupt Cops, Stops Kidnapping/Child Murder Plot: Vigilante At Large'?" Luke frowned and read through the article. "'Last night, emergency response was called at two twenty-one by unknown male. Response dispatch on duty overheard torture, murder and admittance of guilt by former police Sgt. Jacob O'Malley (34). This led to the rescue of Sarah Fischer, 8, who was kidnapped three days ago. Gregory Fischer, 28, who was found beaten earlier that night, admitted to attempted robbery under blackmail, full story page A-ten' What is-?"

"Come on, Luke!" The demigod looked up at Annabeth's cry. The girl had her hand wrapped tightly around Thalia's, who looked to be in a quiet conversation with Naruto. Luke flipped through the paper, found the page with the story and ripped it out. He folded it up and then raced after his group.

Naruto heard Luke stop before everyone else, but said nothing. If he did, it would only be more suspicious. Warning brought curiosity, curiosity made distrust, and distrust led to fear. He didn't want Luke to be afraid of him. Not unless it was necessary.

* * *

Naruto lead the three demigods to the edge of the city through back alleys and side streets. They'd managed to avoid the sewers this time. At the edge of the city, Luke gave Naruto a questioning glance as well as a firm handshake. Thalia nodded to him, which he returned, and Annabeth gave him a quick hug, thanking him for his help. Naruto gave her a pat on the head and a copy of one of his Moon Knight comics.

Once Naruto was sure they'd made it at least two miles out from the city, he raced into the woods after them. The heat was too hot in the Kitchen, so he did as often warned and left. Naruto found a family that needed more protection than anyone else in his territory, and he was sure that criminals would think twice after the trials took place.

There was something he felt he was forgetting, though. Oh well, it probably wasn't that important.

* * *

The phone rang. And rang. And rang. Then it clicked. Naruto's voice came from the voicemail. "I'm not home. Leave a message."

There was a nervous laugh. "_Alright, Lil' Nephew, you've had your fun. Answer the phone. ...Naruto? Kiddo? Seriously, Uncle Fred is telling you to pick the phone up. Pick up the phone, Naruto. ...Oh, man...Artemis is going to kill me._"

* * *

**AN: So there's Artemis' Naruto for you. I've planned out a longer story if I ever decide to continue it.**

**Side note: Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.**

**You know the drill:**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Traveller's Son

**AN: This one-off is more or less a sneak peak at another story I've been working on. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson.  
**

**Traveller's Son**

* * *

In a cave on the side of Mount Cyllene, a woman hummed as she brushed her hair. Curtains of yellow were brushed softly, each stroke made them brighter than the last until they nearly matched the same radiance of the sun. The brush, made of bronze and detailed with an eagle on the back, was set on a wooden desk as a gust of wind made itself known. The woman allowed a smile to cross her face.

"Why, it's been a while since you've come to visit me, Hermes," she said as she turned in her seat to face the god in question. Golden eyes met with sky blue orbs filled with despair and her smile vanished. "My son, what troubles you?"

"Mother," Hermes said softly as he walked in. He was dressed traditionally as a Greek god was expected to be, sandals, simple cloth and bronze armor, but in his left arm, opposite of the right which wielded the Caduceus, was a bundle that fit snugly where it lay. Hermes approached his mother, the goddess Maia, with a look of depression etched in his face. "I don't know where else to go...My son, born of a woman I thought already had given birth, is now motherless."

Maia frowned and stood. She approached her son and peered down at the occupant of the bundle, a babe with hair as yellow as her own and skin as fair as her son's slept easily in Hermes' arm. The only things off about him were the faint marks that looked like whiskers. With a light coo, she took the babe and traced his face with her hand. "He's precious, Hermes...What happened to the mother?"

"Childbirth proved to be too much after ten months of carrying him," Hermes said with a guilty frown. "I had assumed she would be like the other mortals and left her alone at the due date."

"Assumptions, dear, assumptions," Maia said chidingly. She looked up and put a hand on Hermes face. "I will care for him."

Hermes lit up and took his mother's hand in his own. He left a kiss on her palm and smiled at her. "Thank you, Mother. His mother named him Naruto."

Maia's golden brow arched up. "An oriental name?"

"Kushina Uzumaki was exotic," Hermes said with a sheepish shrug. "Red haired, fair skinned...oddly named. You know, like a rare gem."

"Greedy boy," Maia said with a smile as she took her hand back and returned her attention to Naruto. "Off with you, Hermes. I'm sure there's a delivery to be made somewhere."

"Farewell, Mother," Hermes said. He stole one last glance at his son and then turned to leave. Hermes vanished with another gust of wind and Maia sighed.

"Poor boy, first May's curse and now the loss of a mother," Maia said with a sad frown. She brushed her hand over Naruto's whiskered face and smiled. "But at least he knows how to care for his children. A mortal orphanage would've eaten you up!"

The baby fussed about lightly and Maia calmed him with a touch. "Now, now, none of that. Grandmother is here."

Maia rocked the baby back to a settled sleep and went over to where she kept mementos from the past. A small simple bronze crib set off to the side was pulled off and dusted with a wave of her hand. Maia smiled down at the babe that slept peacefully in her arms and carefully laid him in the crib. "There we go...You look just like your father, Naruto."

Naruto gurgled in his sleep and Maia giggled. Much like Hermes, the baby was a natural attention thief. She rubbed her hand over Naruto's light hair and leaned down to kiss his head. "Sleep, little maelstrom. May Morpheus grant you pleasant dreams."

Content that her grandson was rested, Maia returned to her desk and began to search through it for a notebook. When she found it, Maia cracked the book open and began to write down a list of things to obtain from the nearby town. Unlike herself, Naruto was half mortal and needed mortal nourishment in order to survive. With a list of things to obtain, Maia donned the appearance of a mortal and left the cave, but not before she set up a barrier to keep monsters from getting in while she was away.

About an hour after Maia left, Naruto awoke. Blue eyes wandered the roof of the cave, curious about the environment around him. The eyes landed on the side of the crib and Naruto reached out for it with a coo. A tiny pudgy hand grabbed the side and, rather intellectually, clung to it tightly. Within a few minutes, Naruto had rolled onto his side and latched on with the other hand. After he experimented with his hands for a bit, Naruto discovered that his arms bent and could be used to pull himself towards the edge. Now, one would think that this was rather fast for an infant newly born, but then again, one had to consider that this infant was born of a god and an exotic woman.

So, it's not too much to expect the boy to discover that he could leave the crib. It took him a total of fifteen minutes, but Naruto managed to pull himself over the edge of the crib and land on his back on the ground. Surprisingly, the cave's floor wasn't hard rock as one would expect, but a soft, thick, layer of sand that acted as a cushion to the infant's fall. With his freedom, the whiskered babe laughed joyfully and squirmed around on the ground. However, he was still limited to one spot, which was just not acceptable, and the baby started to fuss. His arms smacked the floor and his legs kicked awkwardly at the air.

It was at this scene that Maia returned.

"Naruto!" The grandmother dropped her grocery bags and rushed to the baby's side. She picked him up and rocked him while he cried. "Shh, shh...There, there, little maelstrom. It's okay...it's okay..."

As the infant calmed Maia looked to the crib and wondered if it had been cursed. "First Hermes and now you...Well, at least you didn't crawl to Thessaly."

* * *

"Why do they keep following us!?" Naruto asked his friend. True to his word, once they left the restaurant Billy led Naruto out of the city and then ditched his disguise. The tennis shoes on his feet came off and the satyr pitched the metal poles around his arms. Unfortunately, once they left the city, the winged snakes – which Billy said were Arabian in origin, due to their six feet in length and the two sets of feathered wings; he figured they must've migrated back after the winter left – found them and resumed their chase.

Billy, who had to restrain himself from leaving the blond in the dust, panted and ducked under another serpent's dive. "It's because you smell!"

Naruto frowned and quickly juked left to avoid a serpent and a tree, the serpent didn't have the same luck as he did. "But I take baths all the time!"

"No, Naruto, your blood smells!" Billy grabbed the boy's arm to pull him back on the right trail.

"Oh!" Naruto nodded and then frowned. "...But that doesn't make sense!"

"That's the summary of our life for you, deal with it!" Billy pulled Naruto down just as another serpent chose to dive at them. "You didn't pick up _any_ weapons to use?"

"Well, I've got one..." Naruto said.

Billy stared at him for a moment. "What!? Why aren't you using it? We could kill these things and then go without trouble!"

"It's too light!" Naruto said. "The guy I got it from said it was bronze, but it was way too light to be bronze!"

Billy gaped at Naruto. "Guy? Naruto show me the weapon."

"Okay...but you'll think it's useless..." Naruto said. He pulled his bag around and unzipped it. He reached in and begun to dig around in his bag. "Nope...no that's bread...that's an apple...that's my quarters..."

"Hurry up, I think they're circling around us," Billy said. He kept his eyes on the snakes and swallowed at them.

Naruto strained to stretch his arm in deeper. "I think...yeah, there it is! Almost got it..."

"Come on...How deep is that bag?" Billy asked urgently.

"Grandmother said it was never ending," Naruto said with a grunt. "Got it!"

The blond pulled out the bronze club that Periphetes once used and Billy stared at it in shock. Naruto held it out to Billy. "Here, see? It's too light to be bronze."

The satyr grabbed the club, but once Naruto let go, he fell to the ground with a wheeze. That club had to weigh at _least_ two hundred and fifty pounds! Billy let go of the club and looked at Naruto in disbelief. "Naruto, this _is_ Celestial Bronze! How the heck can you carry all of it!?"

Naruto frowned. "It's really light."

"Trust me, it isn't," Billy said with a groan. He let go of the club and rubbed his arm. "I think I almost dislocated my shoulder..."

Naruto grabbed the club and once more lifted it with ease. "But if it's so heavy, why can I lift it up?"

"Well, your dad was said to-Wait, swing it around! Swing it now!" Billy dropped to the ground and covered his head as Naruto spun and swung the club. A winged snake that had its maw opened wide was suddenly sent soaring in the opposite direction by the blow. It dissolved into dust midair and the other three snakes hissed in anger.

"Naruto, do you know what baseball is?" Billy asked from where he was on the ground.

"Yeah, its where you hit a ball with a stick, right?" Naruto had seen a game with his class in first grade and had even played it once. But he had to sit out the next game because he was accused of cheating. It wasn't his fault he ran faster than the other kids in school! ...Or that he actually stole second base...He didn't know that they didn't mean it literally!

"The other snakes are balls, swing away! Go for the grand slam little man!" Billy cheered. The satyr watched the nine-year-old swing when the serpents tried to dive at him all at once. The bat flew through the air and connected with a loud crack with the first snake. The second had a similar sound as did the third, but it oddly sounded like when you clapped two halves of a coconut together, due to the collision of the heads.

The snakes turned to dust, their skulls likely shattered from the impact, and small bottles of dark liquid were left behind in their absence. Billy got to his hooves and pat Naruto on the shoulder with a grin on his face. "Nice job, Naruto! You'd be a shoo-in for the Yankee's one day."

Naruto shrugged and dropped his club to the side. "I don't really like baseball. It's no fun."

_Yeah, I'll bet._ Billy thought with a chuckle. The satyr gathered up all of the bottles and brought them back to Naruto so he could put them in his bag.

"What are they?" Naruto asked as he held one up.

"Arabian Winged Serpent venom," Billy said. "The poison is one of the most deadly in the world. You could trade these for a high price at camp or save them for later. Heck, I'm sure Apollo wouldn't mind an offering of one. It could get you something nice one day."

"Why don't I just give one to him?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head. His eyes looked up at the sun. Before Billy could stop him, Naruto held the vial up. "I don't really want anything, but here!"

The bottle vanished from existence with a small pop and Billy shook his head. "That wasn't very smart, Naruto. You could've used that someday."

"I have three other ones, and besides, he's my uncle right? Grandmother said you should always be nice and give gifts to your family," Naruto said as he put the other three in his bag. "And Dad gave him the lyre."

Billy rubbed his face. "Yeah...sure he did. Whatever, kid. It's your trophy, I guess I shouldn't tell you what to do with it."

Naruto zipped his bag up and pulled it back on. He looked at Billy curiously as he carried his club on his shoulder. "So, why is the club so light for me, but so heavy for you?"

"My guess is it's because of your father's strength," Billy said as they started to walk once more. "Your father was said to create the first tortoise by lifting a nymph's house from the ground over his head and tossing it atop her. He cursed her to always carry it with her because she refused to leave it when Zeus called all the animals to a meeting."

"Ohh...So I can lift a house?" Naruto asked. If that were the case, he could just carry his home whenever he traveled.

"I wouldn't try it," Billy said. "You probably got a small fraction of Hermes' strength."

"Aw...Well, maybe at camp I can get stronger!" Naruto said with a bright smile. Billy laughed and ruffled his hair.

"That I've no doubt about," the satyr said with a smile.

* * *

The fifteen-year-old Naruto Uzumaki was back in the Big Apple, the teenager wide-awake at the ungodly hour of eight o'clock. He had jimmied the lock to a small apartment on the edge of the East River and now relaxed on the couch with Kurama in his lap. He had a good few days to spend here before he had to be on his way, as the owner would return from his trip soon. His arms stretched above his head and he listened to the stock exchange report on CNN. The newscaster was relatively pretty, though she looked like a younger Sigourney Weaver with shorter lighter hair.

"Man, Motorola needs to get itself together." Naruto took a sip of the coffee he had made earlier. Commercials came on and Kurama let out a yawn. Naruto nodded in agreement. "I know bud, but mortals have to get their products seen by the world somehow, otherwise, what's the use of trying to make money?"

There was a sudden boom and the apartment shook. Stuff fell from the shelves and Naruto hugged Kurama to him to keep him safe. The fox yipped in shock and fear while Naruto tried to soothe him with gentle strokes of his red fur. When it was all said and done, Naruto went to the window to try and find out what happened. The neighbors shouted and children cried once the boom ended. Naruto growled in frustration, unable to see anything that had happened from his window.

The commercial on the television suddenly cut from the creditor ad to a Breaking News bulletin that read "World Trade Center Disaster." Naruto rushed to the remote, his fox on his lap and turned up the volume.

"_...a obviously very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center,_" the voice of a female reporter said. Naruto took in the image of the tower with the enormous hole in the side and the smoke that rose from it. He grabbed his bags and ran out of the apartment, Kurama hot on his heels. The whiskered blond ran to the nearest stairwell and ran up at least five flights of stairs. He burst through the roof entryway and swiveled around until he saw it.

Disbelief washed over him and Naruto let his hands go to his head. The smoke began to fill the sky and Naruto ran his hands down his face as shock filled him. "Holy shit...What the fuck...?"

Kurama yipped and Naruto took note of several monsters fleeing the area by the rooftop. He ducked into the stairwell, not at all prepared to fight. Some hellhounds rushed by without a second glance and Naruto heard a cyclops as it ran past.

"Human disaster, can't hunt or Hades punish me! Run faster, Largo! Run faster!"

"That's interesting, huh boy?" Naruto asked his vulpine friend. When the monsters' stampede was finished, Naruto turned back to the towers. He reached into his modern bag for the bag his grandmother had given him several years ago. He dug around for a bit before he pulled out a watch and strapped it to his wrist. The time read 8:52 am.

"Man...I hope no one's parent worked there," he said softly. Naruto frowned as he felt a small stab of guilt in his heart. He should hope for more than just the demigods here. Naruto clenched his fist and he ran back to the stairway, intent on doing something. Kurama followed him down all the way down to the street, along with several other tenants that were equally disturbed and curious. As he ran towards the building, a large bird-like shape caught his eye and he gasped as a plane ran straight into the other tower.

"All those people..." Naruto's eyes were wide in horror and words failed to form on his normally silver tongue. He heard people scream and yell. It was sheer chaos. Naruto went up to the nearest payphone and worked his magic on it to get a free call to Camp Half-Blood.

"_C-Camp Half-Blood...Chiron speaking."_

"Chiron! Are you watching the news?" Naruto asked as Kurama climbed to his shoulders. He put his hand over his other ear to better hear Chiron over the sirens.

Chiron sounded relieved to hear his voice. _"Naruto! Hold on – Janet, gather the counselors! ...Just do it and tell the others to stay in their cabins! Have satyrs on full alert and, dammit Mr. D! Could you for once in your life take your job seriously!?"_

"_Excuse me!?"_ the god sounded outraged.

"_You heard me! I will make note to Lord Zeus of your indifference at this time!"_

"_...Fine, this will not be forgotten Chiron..."_

"_You can smite me later!" _Naruto was in awe at how angry Chiron was over this. To yell at Dionysus...The centaur had to be infuriated with the mortals. Or scared for his pupils. _"Naruto, where are you?"_

_Lie or tell the truth? Lie or tell the truth? Lie or-fuck it._ "I'm there, Chiron...the Towers..."

"_Are you safe?"_

Naruto nodded. "I'm fine. So is Kurama. Just thought you should know, any monsters in the area are heading your way and fast,"

"_I'm aware. Tragedy makes the Underworld a busy place, and the additional demigod souls usually pile up along with mortals. Monsters who kill during a tragedy like this one earn Hades' ire for millennium. Are you going to be on your way?"_

Naruto knew the centaur had his best interests in mind, but he knew he was going to be needed here. He could feel it. "No, I've...I've gotta help."

"_Naruto, this isn't a monster fight! I'm not asking anymore, I'm telling. All demigods of camp age are to come back this instant!"_

"_Wonderful!"_ Dionysus groaned in the background.

"_Not now!"_ Naruto could hear the frustration in Chiron's voice. _"Naruto, this is a mortal incident. You will come back to camp!"_

"No can do, Chiron. I'm a hero, and you taught me that heroes save lives even at the cost of their own," Naruto said determinedly. He left the phone and let it dangle from where it once hung

"_Against monsters, not natural disasters or mortal skirmishes! Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!"_

* * *

Naruto, dressed in blue slacks and a red Flash shirt, smiled as he walked through Sandy Springs, GA. There were no monsters to be seen since Kronos' defeat in Manhattan a few months ago and Naruto was glad that OURANUS had finally decided to lay low while the gods and campers recovered from the second Titanomachy. So with his free time, Naruto decided to come home for Thanksgiving.

"It's great to be back, huh Kurama?"

The red fox looked up at him with a yip. Naruto grinned and kept his hands in his pockets while he walked towards his apartments. As he rounded the bend that would put them in sight, his eyes widened and he stared in horror at the multiple crushed buildings and fires set around his home. The bag that hung lazily from one arm dropped to the ground.

"No..." Naruto ran through the wreckage, many mortals already on clean up, and bee-lined for his house. What he saw made him infuriated, disheartened and even more horrified than before.

His home was destroyed. There wasn't a scrap of it upright, and in front of where the front door once was laid a very familiar form. A woman with blonde hair the same shade as Naruto's, her skin covered in a light sheen of dust. Maia was on the ground, her head tilted to the side and a bit of golden ichor pooled near her mouth. Her eyes were closed and his heart clenched with worry.

"Grandmother!" The blond burst into a run towards her, his eyes never left her form.

"I don't think so!" A surprise bitch slap from a massive hand knocked Naruto into the air with a spiral. He landed and created a small trench from the kinetic force that sent him back. Naruto scrambled to his feet hurriedly and glared daggers at the giant that stood between him and his unconscious grandmother. The giant had oily black hair, pure white eyes and was dressed in a tracksuit that looked very expensive. Around his neck were several gold chains, which topped off the mobster-like appearance.

The giant frowned. "I was hoping that little runt of a mailman would be here...Give him a good thrashing before I left...Granted, a demigod is nice too. Especially one of his kids."

Naruto's hands reached to his hips and grabbed the bronze axe heads that hung there. He brought them out, prepared to use them like brass knuckles, and glared daggers at the giant. "I'll kill you!"

"Cliché much?" The giant taunted with a 'bring it' gesture. Naruto charged at him with his fist brought back. He swung and hit air. Confused, Naruto stepped back and looked around. The blond doubled over as the giant, now at half his original height, reappeared with his fist imbedded in the blond's gut. "Keep your eyes on the prize, _hero_!"

An uppercut sent Naruto back to the air, where he arced and landed on the ground with a rough slam. Naruto pushed himself back up to his knees when he was blindsided by another punch that had him fly away a good ten feet. Once he got back to his feet again, Naruto looked up through one eye and glared at his attacker. He charged at the smug giant with both handles pulled up over his shoulder. After he swung, the giant vanished once more and reappeared behind him.

"Eight ball, corner pocket!" A hard kick to the back sent Naruto through one of the half-destroyed buildings in the area. The blond crashed into a large boulder and crumpled to the ground. As Naruto tried to push himself to his feet, the giant laughed and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, this feels so good!" he said. "What the hell is Enceladus so worried about? Mother's going to rise, the gods are hiding away in their mountain and the demigods are ours for the taking!"

Naruto coughed up some blood and slowly got back to his feet. He wrapped his right arm around his stomach and side with a wince. At least five ribs were cracked, if not broken. He grit his teeth, stained with blood, and steadied himself.

The giant grinned at the sight. "You've got spunk, kid. I respect that. You're going to willingly face me unlike your yellow daddy. Punk ass used the Underworld King's helm to kill me with that demigod's sword."

"Why...does every monster with a mouth...like to use it?" Naruto asked through labored breaths. He brought his arms up, fists tight around the handles of his axe blades. Naruto's eyes squinted from the pain of trying to breathe.

The giant's grin widened. "What's wrong kid?" He vanished and reappeared with another fist in the blond's gut. "Having breathing issues?!"

"No..." Naruto winced as the lie left his mouth. He dropped his weapons and grabbed onto the giant's wrist with both hands and tugged him back. Naruto drove his foot into the giant's stomach and used the momentum from the pull to throw the giant. The giant flipped in the air and landed through the wall of another building on his back.

Naruto used the time to get some air and dig around in his pocket. There had to be a cube...please, Tyche let there be a cube!

_Bingo_! Naruto pulled the small cube of ambrosia out and popped it into his mouth. He quickly chewed and swallowed the godly food before he got back to his feet. He felt his bones knit together and he heard the cracks of his ribs as they righted themselves.

"Clever," the giant said, once more somehow in front of him without a sound made. Two hands a bit larger than his head grabbed him by the shoulders. "Quick on your feet. But are you quick enough? Let's have some fun and find out!"

Before Naruto could retort, he was suddenly pulled off the ground and slammed through several walls before he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. Naruto climbed back to his feet just in time to be picked up by the giant once again, his head in the giant's massive right hand. The giant seemed to have grown once again.

"Pain train, coming through!" The giant cackled when he began to slam him through several trees as he ran in the woods.

Naruto was slammed into one more tree before the giant tossed him to land over by the entryway to the apartment complex. Naruto groaned and looked through a squinted eye to find his pack on the ground where he had dropped it. The blond struggled to army crawl towards it, his back throbbed with each pull and he could barely feel his legs. He reached out for his pack. If he could get a larger dose of ambrosia or nectar–

"Ah, ah, ah!" Naruto was kicked onto his back a few feet away from his pack. A thump made the ground shake and then something was shoved through his right thigh. Naruto threw his head back and screamed in pain. A fist cracked him across the face like it was shot from a cannon and his scream ended. Sound was muted and his vision went dark. Finally he could see shapes and heard muffled noises.

"Get off of me, you rodent!"

Naruto groaned as he returned to his senses and the buzz in his ears went away. A yelp had him look to his right and see Kurama land in a roll a few feet away. Naruto groaned and sat up. He looked at his leg, pinned to the ground by a steel pole about fifteen feet long. Naruto grabbed the steel and tugged on it. It wouldn't move. Gritting his teeth, Naruto tightened his grip and ripped the pole out of his leg. He screamed and grabbed at the open wound. That was without a doubt the most painful thing he'd ever done!

"Oh? Still alive are we?" The giant that had handed him his ass several times over sauntered over to the blond with a massive spear in his hand. "Tell me, demigod. Would you like to live this day?"

Naruto settled for a tired glare as his answer.

"I'll let you live." The giant smirked and turned away. He began to walk over to Maia. "But only after I kill the mother of Hermes...I gotta send him a message somehow, y'know."

Naruto tightened his hands into fists and struggled to get up, the hole in his thigh made it nearly impossible. He watched with anger and horror as the giant came to a stop beside the Olympian's mother. The spear went up and time seemed to slow down for Naruto.

_No...If only I was just a little faster!_

The spear slowly descended towards Maia and Naruto tried with renewed energy to get back to his knees.

_Just a little faster!_

Naruto pushed down on his bad leg and slowly rose to his feet. A spark appeared in his eyes.

_I just need to be a little faster!_

The sandals on his feet started to glow and Naruto's leg started to heal at a rapid pace. Naruto didn't even feel it. He didn't feel anything.

"_Run. Naruto, _Run_!"_

The voice, familiar and angry, ordered. Something clicked in the back of Naruto's head and he moved. The dirt on the ground was tossed up as he took one step and he wound up a foot away from the giant and his grandmother. Naruto's arms reached out just as the tip of the spear was an inch away from its mark. His hands touched Maia with half an inch to spare.

There was a loud crack in the air followed by the sound of dirt being pierced by bronze metal. The giant looked around in shock. "What the-Where'd the bitch go!?"

Another crack echoed in the air and the giant stumbled back with a yell. His spear and from the middle of his forearm down had been cut clean off. They were a few feet behind him on the ground. "My arm!? Who dares-!?"

Another crack and his other arm vanished from the elbow down. It was several feet beyond the other arm. The giant let out a cry of pain and crumpled to his knees as his regeneration slowly kicked in.

"What is this!?"

Naruto ran, his legs moved faster than ever before. His hands once more wielded the bronze axe heads that he had dropped during the fight with the giant. He shot over the Pacific Ocean, the water shot up in a spray behind him as he made a wake. A boom followed him as he pumped his arms. That boom signaled his destruction of the sound barrier, how he knew that, he didn't know. All he knew was that he had to run.

_Faster!_

A louder crack echoed in the area and more of the giant's left arm came off completely. The giant roared as his regeneration was cut off and started from scratch.

_Faster!_

The ground split apart beneath his feet. He absentmindedly noticed that the great pyramids looked kind of cool. Hawaii seemed nice also. A spark of energy jumped off of his body.

_Faster!_

"What is happening?!" The giant roared again as his right arm joined the left.

The sights became a blur and Naruto lapped the world once over, then twice, then five times, then ten. There was a new trench that spanned across the ocean floor, and the water had parted.

"I don't understand." The giant groaned as he knelt on the ground, his arms gone and hundreds of gashes on his body that were slowly knitting together. His expensive tracksuit was gone, tatters from the assault he underwent. There was a boom and he looked up at the blond demigod he had beaten into the ground moments ago. "You? What are you?"

"I'm the demigod that killed you," Naruto said, his voice echoed as his body vibrated. He looked like he couldn't stand still if he tried, and lightning or some similar energy came off him in arcs. His body was cracked all over and leaked red with blood from the wounds. He brought his right hand back, the bronze axe-head gleamed in the daylight though it looked ready to fracture with the next blow, and it began to vibrate at a high speed. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the son of Hermes!"

"NO-O-O-!" The giant's yell was cut short as his head was cut off. The head landed in the dirt and the body dissolved into dust, sent back to the Underworld where it belonged.

Naruto's weapons exploded into dust and the blond fell to his knees, still vibrating. His shirt burst long ago from the strain of the speed and his jeans were tattered and torn from the friction. Blood leaked from his body and his eyes, bloodshot to the extreme, rolled into his head as he fell forward. Finally, he went still, save for the occasional arc that went over him.

* * *

**AN: Now, remember I said this was a preview of what I've been working on.**

**Tell me your thoughts!**

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	6. Born From Fire

AN: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! This chapter is dedicated to my mom, because she's always there for me.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Born From Fire**

* * *

"There are four common base elements that are known to the world through many cultures."

A page was turned in a book and the Narrator smiled as the sole member of the audience listened with full attention from where they sat on the Narrator's lap. The page revealed a picture of the planet Earth.

"The first, of course, is that of the earth. Strong, unmoving, the earth is stubborn, but also at peace with itself. It is lorded over by a primordial, _the_ primordial Gaea, who continues to slumber since times long forgotten. Her slumber isn't welcomed, but it isn't disturbed, for when the Earth decides to sleep, it takes something _big_ to make her stir, let alone wake her up. To ensure she slumbers, the eldest son of The Crooked One, Hades, watches over the element of Earth. His sister, Demeter, grudgingly helps him with this."

The Listener giggled and the Narrator's smile widened. Another page was turned and multiple lines danced across the paper. The Listener watched the lines twist and turn this way and that, and the Narrator continued.

"Then comes the element that is most free, the air. Air is invisible, not to be touched, but always to be felt. It dances around humans, brushes their skin, warms their flesh, or chills their bones. When trapped, it escapes easily through the sneakiest of manners, for it finds the smallest of crevices of its container and slips out. Many control air, but it is lorded over by the youngest son of The Crooked One, Zeus. Even then, Zeus focuses his control on the sub-element, Lightning, which may explain why Air gets away with so much, even with Hera trying to keep it in check."

Another giggle escaped the Listener after the Narrator's last whispered comment. The Narrator chuckled and turned the page. An intricate sunset hung on the edge of the restless ocean.

"After the free air and the stubborn earth comes the malleable element of water. Water is truly one of the most effective elements created. Water cannot easily be contained. It becomes heavy when gathered together and refuses to remain still when transported, such as when a child fills a bucket. The bucket becomes too heavy for the child to carry, and, even if they do manage to carry it, chances are that the water will escape over the edge during the transport. There is still some water in the bucket though, which tells us that water is generous. The middle brother of Zeus and Hades, Poseidon, watches over all major bodies of water."

"Unc Side'n!" The Listener chimed happily.

"That's right." the Narrator smiled softly. The page was turned once more and a happy sound escaped the Listener when he saw a crude, but elegant, fire sprout on the page.

"Fire!"

"Yes," the Narrator said as warm, flame filled eyes looked down at the untamed blond hair on the Listener's head.

"Fire, the fourth and final element. Fire is perceived as dangerous and harmful, with good reason. Fire cannot be completely controlled, even by those it is assigned to. Fire is ruthless, unforgiving, and wild. It must be tempered by a careful hand, caged in a hearth or aptly named fireplace, and it is used by humanity against the word of the gods, who knew of its dangerous power. Fire burns strong until doused by earth, water, or air."

"Foosh!"

The Narrator giggled as a small flame escaped the hands of the Listener. The book was untouched, the fire created danced in circles above it before the fire was snuffed from existence.

"But though it is defeated, it leaves its mark; the air becomes unbearable, water is boiled, and the earth is scorched. However, there are two great beings that watch over fire. One is the smith god, Hephaestus, who uses fire as a tool. He has shortcomings, a temper much like the element when certain subjects are brought up."

The Narrator closed the book and set it aside. The Narrator turned the Listener around so that their warm flame-filled eyes could meet, small smiles on either of their faces. The Listener's eyes drooped slightly and a yawn escaped from the young Listener's mouth. The Narrator smiled and rose, carrying the Listener to a small bed set beside a large hearth. The Listener was set in the bed, and the Narrator gently brushed a finger along one of the unique whisker-like marks that was on the Listener's cheek.

"The other watcher of fire is quiet and peaceful, one who knows that to protect her family, she must be distant from them. But she loves them too much to be distant, so she designed the Hearth, a way to contain fire, yet let it reign free."

The Listener's eyes shut and the Narrator's smile widened.

"After all, fire brings life as well as extinguish it. Unites families, even when they are so far apart." The Narrator grabbed a simple light orange-brown blanket and draped it over the Listener. "The Last Olympian watches the Hearth, alone and willingly. Her dedication was rewarded by the Fates." The Narrator turned to the Hearth and grabbed a poker, gently adjusting the coals that burned. "For her Hearth gave birth to a boy, the Boy Born from Fire. Naruto, the God of the Hearth."

* * *

When a human thought of a god, they thought of an all powerful being that was otherworldly in appearance, though still they looked 'human' due to humanity's vanity. In reality, humans were akin to hairless apes, and gods were...not. However, the gods learned quickly to hide their true appearance, for most beings could not handle the sight of a god's true form. They donned humanity as their cover – "Why human? Because honestly, who wanted to look like a platypus?" – and most gods settled on certain features that agreed with their domains.

Apollo, as god of the sun and youths, was always an attractive young man. His twin, Artemis, appeared as a beautiful athletic maiden to coincide with her domain of the hunt and maidens. Hermes always looks mischievous and friendly, being the god of thieves and travellers, often one and the same, though lately he's donned the browns and weariness of a postal worker. Aphrodite was the definition of lust, love and beauty in human form, as each human had a different opinion, and her appearance was never actually specified to be more than 'breathtakingly beautiful'. Ares was scarred and built like a warrior, though he now looks like a thug. Hephaestus was the hardened crippled worker. Dionysus the happy drunk, but like Ares and Hermes, his appearance has suffered due to the times, now he's miserably sober.

How does a god choose to appear, though? How do they know what fits their domain?

Well, Naruto wasn't sure about the others, but he was lucky enough to have a face that he liked. When he was 'born again', his once-human-now-godly mind chose that as his godly form. Currently, he was the physical equivalent of an eight year old, but with the mental capacities of a god. Unfortunately, because his godly mind was newborn, Naruto couldn't reprogram the base setting, which meant one thing.

He was short.

_Again_.

"...So not fair..." Naruto pouted as he looked at the platter of cooling cookies set on the counter, just a foot from his reach. Olympians liked to be ten feet tall, some inset superiority thing, Naruto assumed. His childish form was barely even half that. Granted, it was better than being four foot nothing for almost all of his childhood, it was still kind of irritating to have a significant height disadvantage after an adulthood where he was one of the few naturally tallest around.

"Is something troubling you, Naruto?"

Naruto turned and smiled at his cousin. Athena looked radiant as usual; her golden hair – often changed to a darker color for mortals because of some stigma that had come about in the late 18th Century – braided down her back and wise grey eyes showed that she had processed millions of thoughts before one completed in his head. Though, she'd probably be less intimidating if she didn't wear the cuirass over her robes.

Nevertheless, Naruto greeted Athena warmly. "Hey, Ena!"

The wise eyes steeled. "Naruto, you're no longer a child, please don't address me as that ever again."

"Er, sorry, Athena." Naruto swallowed lightly. He relaxed as the hard steel returned to a cool grey.

"You're entering your third century, Naruto, you should begin to act like it," Athena said. She sniffed the air and approached the counter further. Though she kept her distance, a desire appeared alongside the calculative gaze she had. "...Hestia made cookies."

"For the celebration of the end of the nineteenth century," Naruto said after the astute deduction. He looked up at the counter with want in his own gaze and a silly grin on his face as drool escaped his lips. "They're _orange_ ambrosia cookies..."

Naruto heard Athena take a sharp breath of air. He didn't blame her. Hestia's cookies and other assorted treats were among the most coveted of snacks. She did wonders with ambrosia that no god or goddess has been able to replicate, and the only one who's neared her skill has been Hera. The Queen of the Heavens was not vain enough to declare her baking better than her older sister's; it was an unspoken agreement that one did not dare try to outdo Hestia when baking, lest she decide to keep a fight from taking place and cease baking altogether.

Olympus would face against Chaos itself before the inhabitants of the mountain would suffer a lack of Hestia's cooking.

"For the celebration of the New Year, hm?" Athena hummed. She let a small sigh escape her. "I suppose we should just wait for the hours to pass...they'll still be warm."

"If Artemis doesn't grab them all, first." Naruto grumbled. In his opinion, the goddess of the hunt became the goddess of gluttony when Hestia's cookies were set out. Artemis rarely lied, the event itself being the reason why there was a phrase 'once in a blue moon', but Artemis' most common excuse for taking all of the cookies would be that she was saving them for her hunters.

Naruto grunted when Athena lightly knocked him on the head with the flat of her spear.

"Now, Naruto, you know as well as I that Artemis isn't that bad." Athena scolded.

"Yeah, sure...Did you have to hit me so hard?" Naruto rubbed his crown and frowned at the spear. Along the flat of the blade, several kanji and other assorted lines appeared before the spear changed into a trident. Athena started and dropped the polearm, shocked that she held the symbol of her rival so suddenly. The trident exploded in a cloud of smoke once it struck the ground and reverted back to Athena's spear. Then, it returned to her hand under her will once she noticed the change had ended. Her gaze turned to the younger god.

"Naruto!"

"That was an accident, I promise!" Naruto cringed and held his arms above his head. "Don't hit me again!"

Athena rolled her eyes. She wasn't so quick to act, despite what others may think. "I won't hit you, Naruto. I just want to know how you did that?"

Naruto peaked out through a crack in his arms. "Promise not to whack me on the head?"

"I promise not to whack you on the head." Athena's amusement was displayed by a hardly visible smirk on her face. Her younger cousin was very childish, more so than any of the other gods. His personality was possibly due to his previous life as a mortal during the age of Bronze Men, but Athena wasn't about to jump to that conclusion.

"Okay." Naruto lowered his arms, but kept a wary eye on the goddess of wisdom. "Well, that was a seal, as far as I could tell. A rune from the Bronze Age used in the Eastern Realm. I thought that a lack of chakra would make those things impossible, but I guess now I can just will them to appear."

"...You guess?" Athena was slightly disappointed. She did not exist during the Bronze Age and had only come to be once the age dwindled to a close. Not to mention the Olympians didn't go east often; they followed the heart of the west after all. The only ones who'd truly gone eastern were Apollo and Helios, and that was to guide the sun on its western trip.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure how my mind works, don't think I ever will be." Naruto grinned slightly. "Not really the 'brains' kind of guy, you know?"

"Well now, that just won't do."

Naruto froze at the soft amused tone that he'd heard a few times before. The god of the hearth and home turned and offered his mother a weak smile. "H-Hello mother."

"Naruto." Hestia nodded slightly. She gave another nod to Athena. "Athena, welcome. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, Hestia," Athena said. "I was coming to have another talk with you when I spotted Naruto gazing at your cookies."

Naruto pouted at the goddess. "Nobody likes a tattle tale, Athena."

"Odysseus would say otherwise to that, Naruto," Hestia said. She had a secretive smile on her face, and her flame-like eyes flickered playfully. "Speaking of Odysseus, he was favored by you, was he not, Athena?"

Athena nodded. "He was one of the few men who had intelligence and lacked incompetence. Especially when it came to warfare."

"And you, Naruto, are fond of his tale, are you not?" Hestia asked. Her smile widened slightly as the boy nodded. "Perhaps you should learn to use your mind like he did. What do you think, Athena?"

Athena's eyes gleamed as she swiftly put together the tapestry Hestia was weaving. One thing was guaranteed when it came to the domain of wisdom, and that was sharing it with another. "I'd be glad to help Naruto with that."

Naruto looked between the two goddesses, a cold feeling travelled up his spine. "Um...did I miss something?"

"You could begin tomorrow after the party," Hestia said.

Athena nodded. "That will do."

"After lunch?"

"A few hours before should suffice. Ensure that he sleeps well," Athena said as she turned and walked away.

"I'll take him to your library after breakfast, then." Hestia smiled.

Naruto frowned as Athena left the simple temple to the Olympus Hearth his mother claimed as her home. He turned back to Hestia with his brows furrowed. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. Now go wash up, we're going to visit Mother before the party. She hasn't seen you since the Revolutionary War ended."

* * *

"This is madness..." Naruto frowned as he looked at the River Somme at the end of Janus' month in the seventeenth year of the twentieth century. He finally had a growth spurt and stood a respectable ten feet alongside other immortals, but with his growth came memories of times long since past. Humans hadn't changed since his first life, despite what his mother insisted. They were still prone to wars, granted they lost the many abilities Naruto now controlled. And with the added demigods...it was a recipe for disaster. Ares' sons were ruthless and Apollo's sons had made deadly biological weaponry.

"Madness, ha! You'd not be saying that if you saw Troy. That was madness. They'd go out to fight in the day, sleep with women in the night and then repeat for years."

Naruto turned and let a small smile cross his face as one of his friends approached him. He was a dark skinned man and built much like the long since deceased and reincarnated Kirabi. Glowing stones acted as eyes and in his left hand was a rolled parchment. The man wore a dark suit that was common to those who resided mostly in the House of Hades.

"Was another false oath given, Horkos?" Naruto asked the son of Eris. His presence wasn't usually welcomed on Olympus, but as of late many of those unwelcomed were present to deal with the strife that befell the planet.

Horkos let off an annoyed sigh. "There are so many promises made that I have been sent by Lord Hades to consult with Lord Apollo over what was a broken oath and what was never meant to be kept. Things would be easier to track if we had another god of oaths, alas, Helios faded back when Rome rose."

"I'm not becoming the God of Promises, Horkos." Naruto told the punisher flatly.

Horkos glowered at him. "Yet you continue to make promises..."

"I do no such thing!" Naruto protested.

Horkos smirked. "Oh really? So that promise to Aphrodite you made was a false oath?"

"That does not count! I was hardly out of my first century! I didn't know what I was saying!" Naruto protested hotly as his blond locks ignited into an embarrassed flame while his face turned a bright gold as ichor rushed to it.

Horkos laughed and clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Be at ease, Naruto. I know you were a young god. For me to punish you would be damnable. If anyone should be punished, it's Aphrodite. She invoked a possibly false promise, but then again, I don't see the future."

"Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence. You're a true friend." Naruto drawled as he cooled off. He flicked a small flame that hung on his brow off and gave Horkos a mild glare.

Horkos smirked again. "I'm a son of Eris. If I don't cause you some sort of pain, she'd throw me to Nyx for more lessons."

"Right..." Naruto sighed. He looked back down at the River Somme and shook his head. "These men...they do not deserve the teachings of Ninshū."

"Ah, so you've been considering teaching your other domain to humanity?" Horkos asked.

Naruto sighed. "After conversing with Mother about Prometheus' fate, I decided against it. Lord Zeus does not like having his place challenged. Besides, Ninshū was created to unite humanity into peace. With Ares' hold over men this generation, I fear that level of peace may be beyond them."

"Are you considering the offer Eirene made?" Horkos asked his young friend seriously. "You do know what could happen if you take her up on it."

"...I have not decided yet," Naruto admitted. "While I think that this decade is lost to Ares' bloodlust, I always hope for the true king of man."

The sky boomed, but Naruto paid it no heed. Horkos waited patiently for his friend to continue. Naruto looked at Horkos with a small smile.

"The true king of man is the next generation," Naruto said. He returned his attention to the riverbed, littered with bodies and wounded, rescue coming in waves. "And it is the duty of the current to ensure that the next generation makes the right choice. War may be inevitable because of Ares' boredom, but Peace is something worth fighting for."

"An interesting choice of words."

The new voice had Horkos and Naruto stiffen, and both turned to see none other than their King behind them. Naruto fell to a knee and Horkos knelt beside him, both greeted him traditionally as their "Father". They looked up and rose when Zeus signaled them to.

"I meant no dishonor, Lord Zeus - " Naruto began, but Zeus' raised hand cut him off. Electric blue eyes were locked onto flame-like orbs that looked back at him in a bit of nervousness. Zeus never officially approved of Hestia's son, but considering that the Fates suddenly delivered him to Hestia, Zeus withheld any action against him. That and Zeus was not exactly keen on the thought of being on Hestia's bad side, not that he ever told anyone of it.

"Your words come from the heart of one who was once man," Zeus said neutrally. "It is only natural that you occasionally think like one. You are like Asclepius, foolhardy and naïve when it comes to immortal matters, but filled with good intentions for mortals. Tell me, Boy of Fire, what are your views on peace?"

Naruto blinked, slightly stunned that the King addressed him so directly. He really needed to learn to reign in his motor mouth. After a moment of silence, Naruto came to his senses thanks to a nudge from Horkos.

"M-my views? Yes, um, ahem." Naruto coughed into a fist uneasily. "Peace is something that can be achieved by man, even if it's due to fear of man's rulers. Such as the Golden Age."

Zeus narrowed his eyes. "You believe that The Crooked One is a better ruler than I?"

"No! No-no-no-no! You are far greater than he," Horkos quickly interjected. "As one who was present for the Crooked One's rule, believe me, Lord Zeus, you are the better ruler."

"Indeed," Naruto said. He owed Horkos for that save. "You are fair and just, whereas the Crooked One ruled with fear. You mingle with man, knowing them and watching them closely, while the Crooked One ignored their value. Still, with so much concern of upsetting the Crooked One, man dared not fight one another as they do now."

"So fear is key to peace?" Zeus asked.

"No. Fear is a temporary peace," Naruto said. "Even though his reign was long, it was temporary. You have dealt with many ages, Lord Zeus. You have seen what causes most years of peace. After this battle" Naruto gestured to the view of the River Somme, where either side ignored the other. "great pain can also bring peace. This is also a flawed form of peace. Pained or wronged, humanity has the need for vengeance, or personal justice. A cycle of hatred that is deeply ingrained in the human mind, one that is _very_ hard to break if not done early on."

"Grudges are Hades' problem." Zeus grimaced.

"Yet they trouble humanity, do they not?" Naruto countered. "What humanity needs to learn is to take the pain in stride, to learn to truly forgive. When kings who cause pain or rule through fear realize that neither is effective, their control falters and revolution comes. Eventually, the kings are lost, as we've seen with the recent American Revolution. The war was lost and the grudges between the United States of America and England have long since gone. They are even united. Allies. They have acquired peace."

"...Forgiveness is the key to peace?" Zeus asked, a bit upset at the somewhat dull words that came from his mouth.

Naruto frowned, a bit upset at the simplification of his belief. "No. Understanding. England has come to understand that the United States of America is independent and the United States of America understands that England no longer wishes to rule. Neither rules the other, they understand what drives the other, and coexist peacefully."

Zeus hummed and considered the younger god's words. "So if man can come to understand one another, forgo the pain one may have caused them if they knew the reason behind it, they could have peace?"

"That sums it up aptly, Lord Zeus," Naruto said. "But, as I told Horkos, I do not believe it possible now. That is why I strive for the future."

"You hope for this to happen?"

"I have faith in humanity to do the right thing when it needs to be done," Naruto said firmly. "Peace is not impossible for man."

Zeus stared at the young god for a moment again before he nodded. "Athena's lessons have done you well, and your own mortal experiences give you wisdom she never could. You have swayed me, Boy of Fire, and from henceforth you shall be known as God of Peace as well as the God of the Hearth and Chakra."

Naruto faltered for words before he ducked his head down. "Thank you, Lord Zeus."

Zeus nodded curtly and left the two in a large show of lightning. After a moment passed, Horkos turned to smirk at Naruto.

"So, God of Peace...thinking of marrying a certain goddess anytime soon?"

Naruto glared at the punisher. "I may be the God of Peace, but that doesn't mean I don't condone violence!"

"You are too easy."

"Go eat a crow."

* * *

It was an evening after the latest Olympian meeting, and Naruto was invited to relax at Apollo's temple as well as referee an arm wrestling match. While Naruto wouldn't mind hanging out with one of his favorite cousins, Naruto wanted to check on his student, Mahatma. Apollo convinced him to come by telling him the opponent was not Hermes, but Ares. Seeing the god of war face off against the 'strongest son of Zeus' intrigued Naruto and he went.

"Come on, tough guy." Apollo taunted with a grin as he started to force Ares' hand back. The god of light grinned and his eyes turned a bit cold. "You're embarrassing yourself in front of our Lil' Cousin."

"Screw off, Girly Boy!" Ares snarled. He grit his teeth and the ichor filled veins in his arm became visible as his strength waned against Apollo's own. Their younger cousin, who had just hit the age of fifteen, watched the exchange with interest.

Naruto was mostly unaffected by his cousins' raw power. Unlike them, he was the son of one of the original six Olympians' domain. His mother's fire was unstoppable, and Naruto was much the same way. He'd gone and sought out the Nemean Lion to see what would last longer: his skin or the Lion's. The Lion's impenetrable skin faltered sooner than he'd expected and Naruto had gotten quite the scolding from his mother _and_ the King for his experiment. Still, though, it was fun chasing the giant cat. He might do it again in a century or so.

His flame colored eyes danced in entertainment as the god of war's arm was forced down towards the table, and Ares' faces were downright laughable. Finally, after an hour of relentless struggle on Ares' part, Apollo put a bit more effort into his push and the god's hand smacked against the imperial gold.

"Apollo wins." Naruto chuckled as the Californian appearing god stood with both of his fists in the air, nodding like a ham.

"Again! Apollo wins, _again_!" Apollo corrected as he sat back down. He gave a bright cheeky grin to the war god. "That's, what? Five hundred, thirty-two to one? In my favor?"

Ares growled at him. The one victory came when Apollo hustled him. "Rematch!"

"Nah, not feeling it. You wanna have a go, Naruto?" Apollo asked, glancing at his fellow blond god.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Eh...While I wouldn't mind a good spar with an Olympian, I don't think Ares and I should challenge each other at anything. Politics, you know."

Ares smirked at the young god. "Chicken."

"No, that's being smart." Apollo agreed with a nod. "Hestia would blame not only _you_ for injuring Naruto, but me, Zeus, Hera...See where I'm going with this?"

"Ah, family fightin' family never hurt nothing!" Ares protested with a grin. "Like that last war we had. Went global! Good times."

Naruto snorted and crossed his arms as he adjusted himself on his mat-like chair. "Remind me to educate you on the Uchiha clan sometime."

"Ares, Zeus would take your head clean off with his Master Bolt if it meant Hestia wouldn't be angry." Apollo drawled slowly. Ares' grin fell into a grimace.

"Oh. Right...That's bad."

"Duh."

Ares glared at the sun god. "Screw you, Sunspot."

Naruto sighed and waved his hand. The table the two gods were sitting at suddenly lowered and their stools turned into cushions like the one Naruto sat on. Another wave and a pitcher of nectar along with several goblets appeared in the center. "Let's relax with the evening and talk, shall we?"

"I'd rather go get laid," Ares said with a scowl.

"Aphrodite is out with some mortal guy," Apollo poured himself some nectar. He drank down some of the nectar and sighed. "That's really good. Kind of rough, like mortal sake, but the burn afterwards."

"It's spiked," Naruto said with a small grin. The two gods turned to him as he changed his goblet to a simple cup. "What? I'm the God of the Home. I want all to love their home and be comfortable within it. That doesn't mean I'm against booze."

"My opinion of you just rose a bit, shrimp." Ares grinned and turned his goblet into a mug. He took a long swig and after he swallowed, belched. "That's some good spike right there. Does have a burn to it."

"I asked Dionysus for some advice." Naruto chuckled at the memory. "He was more than happy to share some of your vices when it came to your drinks."

"Good ol' D. The chunky monkey knows I love the burn." Apollo grinned.

Ares refilled his mug and drank a bit more. "Oh yeah. He's a sneaky bastard, too. Like that time the Crip trapped Hera..."

"And scared you off?" Apollo added with a grin.

Ares pointed a fat finger at the sun god. "Hey, the Crip was bluffing, Sunspot. I didn't know he didn't want to fight. Coward tricked me and now he's too busy to actually go a few rounds."

"Coward, right..." Apollo shook his head. "There's a fight that would end with us being down an Olympian. Hey Naruto, you wanna sit on the council?"

"Pass." Naruto shuddered and gained a haunted look in his eye. "I've been to council meetings before. The paperwork...the endless, endless paperwork..."

"Geez, first you don't want to fight and now you're afraid of some cut up trees?" Ares asked with a snort.

Naruto glared at him. "Until you've been stuck behind a desk filling out forms over and over again, going home each night to _not_ have sex with your wife – may she rest her soul – and then going _back_ to do the same thing you did the next day for three weeks straight, you have _no_ right to judge me."

"Wife?" Apollo asked. He and Ares cringed slightly at the thought of Hera's domain being attributed to them. However, they didn't know much of Naruto's past life, he tended to keep it and his abilities close to his chest.

Not for lack of Zeus or Ares' trying – one wanted to see how dangerous Naruto could be and the other wanted to see who was stronger.

Naruto sat back and smiled fondly. "Yeah. She was a strange girl. Hot, though. I'd bring her back if I could, but...she's reincarnated into something...damnable."

"Ooo, sorry to hear that," Apollo said.

Naruto shook his head. "It's fine. She just wanted to get to the Isle of the Blest to be with me...but on the second try around she lost her path. Bathory was her end."

"...You were _married_ to the woman who became Elizabeth Bathory?" Apollo asked. "She must've been smoking hot the first time around...vanity must've ended her."

"Maybe. Doesn't matter now. Hinata lives on in my memory. And despite what Mother thinks I think, I do want to remarry someday. Just...not so young," Naruto said. "Or without choice. Look at Hephaestus. Got the short end of the stick on that one."

"Short end?" Ares asked dryly. "You've _seen_ Aphrodite, right?"

Naruto looked at the god flatly. "Yes, and I _know_ you have as well. Many times. Behind Hephaestus' back. Sometimes boldly in front of him." Naruto turned to Apollo. "Why hasn't he tried to divorce? I'm sure that if he put _some_ effort into it, Hephaestus could have Athena as a bride."

"You'd think so, right?" Apollo snorted and drank more nectar. "Zeus turned him down, said Aphrodite was _too_ beautiful. Could've split Olympus."

"Yeah...up until Athena or Hera heard about why there was fighting in the streets." Naruto smirked.

"That's what _I_ said!" Apollo sighed. "I even volunteered to marry her. I'm cool with an open marriage. Both of us just need to have a kid once, then Mom's off my back for immortal legit children. Then she could sleep with whoever, I could sleep with whoever, and you know what else? Two of the hottest on Olympus, and no one would care. No brainer, right?"

"Artemis would probably never speak to you again, though," Naruto said after a moment.

Apollo slumped his shoulders and hung his head. "I know. That's what Zeus said."

Naruto chuckled. "I envy the bond you two share. It is a bond I have only felt once before. Granted, my 'brother' tried to kill me multiple times."

"Sounds like my kind of guy," Ares said with a smirk. Naruto and Apollo shook their heads at his comment, which made the god of war frown. "What?"

"You're an idiot, Ares." Apollo snorted and drank more ichor.

Ares scowled at Apollo. "You wanna go again, Apollo?"

"Nah, I don't feel like having an easy win."

"Oh it's on, girly boy!"

Naruto sighed as Ares leapt across the table at the sun god and the two half-brothers began to roll around. The god of the home made the table levitate up as Ares and Apollo rolled past. Naruto drank some more of his sake and chuckled to himself.

There was never a dull day when one was immortal.

* * *

"Poseidon has a son?" Naruto blinked as his mother rubbed her forehead. The god of the home adjusted the hold on his monk staff and sat down across from her. Hestia had called him to her temple after she'd gone to investigate why the Lord of the Sea was acting so skittish lately. Aside from Rhea, Hera and Demeter, Naruto was one of the few to earn Hestia's absolute trust with her duties as the First and Last Olympian.

"Yes. Poseidon's always been rebellious, but to break an oath on the Styx?" Hestia sighed. "Zeus' coupling with that Grace woman was, admittedly, always expected, but I thought Poseidon could've held out another century or so. Hades has done so well, despite the di Angelo's deaths."

Naruto hummed in agreement as he made a bowl of ramen appear before him. Hestia frowned at the bowl and it shifted into a broth filled with a soup of ambrosia, Naruto's chopsticks into a spoon. Naruto's shoulders slumped.

"Really?"

"You won't be eating that garbage in my home." Hestia frowned at her son. "Honestly, since you've regained all of your memories, your manners have vanished entirely."

"Not entirely...Weren't we talking about Poseidon?" Naruto asked, attempting to change the subject from his vices. He stirred his broth and rested his cheek in his hand with a disappointed frown on his face. His mother's food was _amazing_...but it wasn't Ramen. He really needed to build his own temple sometime, then he could eat Ramen whenever he wanted.

Hestia sighed and shook her head. "We were. We all understood Zeus breaking his oath and we knew eventually Poseidon would break...but so soon afterwards?"

"It's only been what? Five years or so?" Naruto asked after he ate some of the broth before him. "So what happened when you told Lord Zeus?"

"Zeus does not know."

Naruto dropped his spoon and stared at his mother. "You're not going to tell him?"

"When Poseidon told me he broke his oath, I left." Hestia frowned, showing great distress to her son. "I asked no questions and did not wish to hear his reasoning. All I know is that there is a demigod out there that does not know of his origin, most likely won't know of his family before he dies. The scent of my brothers' blood is potent, even when demigods are unaware of their origins."

Naruto frowned and sat back. "Telling Lord Zeus so soon after the death of Thalia Grace...Yes, he'd be likely to lash out as Hades did after the oath was made."

"I will not damn a woman or child to death because my brothers are unable to control their lust. This is why I didn't marry or lay with a god," Hestia said with a sigh. "I must inform Mother."

"Is that wise?" Naruto asked. "Rhea may not be allowed on Olympus, but she may not be able to keep this from Lord Zeus. If you go to visit her so soon after visiting Poseidon it may seem suspicious."

Hestia looked at her son. "What would you suggest?"

Naruto interlaced his hands, his eyes turned from fire into calm blues. Hestia watched her son gain a mortal form, that of a young man. Naruto slid from the slightly larger chair, now at a respectable six-foot height. He rubbed his cheeks and hummed thoughtfully.

"Birthmarks aren't as prominent for this Age are they?" he asked. Hestia shook her head and he grimaced. "A beard it is, then." A second later and his birthmarks were obscured by the same shade of yellow that covered his head in a neatly trimmed beard, much like how Poseidon had taken to trim his own. Naruto rubbed his face with a scowl. "I hate facial hair. It's itchy and uncomfortable."

"You look slightly respectable...Slightly longer hair to go with the beard, perhaps?" Hestia suggested.

Naruto frowned and rubbed his hair. "What's wrong with my cut?"

"It's a bit too short to match that beard," Hestia said. With the Greeks' fascination of facial hair, brought on by Zeus' own fascination with it, came the knowledge most had when it came to be done. "Why are you doing this?"

"Me? I'm going to go meet my cousin," Naruto said with a grin as he finished his mortal form. He still wore orange robes and his monk staff was still in hand.

Hestia giggled slightly. "Not dressed like that, my son."

Naruto frowned and pulled at his robe. "Why not? Is it the orange? Please tell me it's not the orange."

"It's not the orange, it's the clothes themselves. We may not care how we appear, but man does not dress so loosely in the United States," Hestia said, an amused smile on her face. She tapped her cheek. "I suppose if you want to look whatever part you're going for, you should ask Apollo when he returns from his duty...or when he next steps onto Olympus, if he's with another woman."

"That could be weeks..." Naruto grimaced. Apollo may be a player, but he wasn't jumping from girl to girl daily. He did take some time to get to know a girl before he lay with them.

"Well, then you could go ask Aphrodite or Eros for assistance," Hestia said. She gained a small frown. "Actually, wait until Apollo returns. Aphrodite has been...bored lately."

"Is that a bad thing?" Naruto asked.

"Not exactly..." Hestia didn't want her son to be enticed by Aphrodite, but she couldn't well lie to him either. "Ares has been philandering around lately..."

"...And your point is?" Naruto blinked, mild confusion on his face.

Hestia sighed. "Just, keep in mind why you went to see her."

"New clothes, apparently," Naruto said with a frown as he looked at his robes. He shrugged and lifted a hand in a farewell wave before he vanished in his choice of instantaneous travel: a swirl of leaves.

Hestia didn't know where he obtained his fascination with leaves, but assumed it to be a part of his past life. The Goddess of the Hearth turned to her domain and frowned slightly. Why was her son so secretive?

* * *

Naruto laughed as he lifted a young boy with brilliant sea green eyes and dark hair up above him. "Look at that, you can fly!"

It had been four years since he was informed of his cousin's existence, and three years since Naruto inserted himself firmly in the lives of the Jackson household. The young god cherished the memory of the day he walked into the house, dressed in worn jeans and an orange shirt that Eros had chosen. (Apparently, Aphrodite had found a 'yummy' companion and left Eros to deal with any matters on Olympus for her, and Eros was in a better mood than he usually was.)

Naruto had introduced himself properly to Sally Jackson, who saw that he was not as young as he seemed. She was uneasy around him at first, considering he was a god and all, but when she realized that her son took a liking to his cousin, Sally began to relax.

The young boy in Naruto's grasp laughed and held his arms out. "I'm Superman! Mommy look!"

"Yes Percy, I can see that." Sally smiled as she looked up from where she was preparing a cake for the soon to be seven year old. "Careful Naruto. I don't want to have to put ice on any bruises this year."

"Maa, you worry too much, Sally," Naruto said as he moved Percy to sit on his shoulders. The disguised immortal walked into the kitchen and took a deep breath. "Mm-mm. Smells good in here, like my Mother's cooking."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm that good," Sally said quickly. She whacked Naruto's hand with a wooden spoon when he tried to sneak a bit of batter on his finger. Percy giggled while Naruto hissed and shook his hand. "You'll do like Percy and wait until it's done to get a taste."

"But that'll take _hours_," Naruto groaned.

Percy patted Naruto's head. "Root, Smelly Gabe is out today! We can watch TV!"

Well, Gabe learned quickly to leave the house whenever Naruto was to be around. The young god didn't care for the chosen shield and made his dislike of the man known. There may have even been a threat or two, a hole made by Naruto's fist right beside Gabe's head or the snapping of a shotgun barrel over Naruto's knee when Gabe tried to prevent Naruto from entering. It was the last time Gabe tried anything and he quickly made himself scarce, as Naruto implanted a sixth sense to alert the man when he would be coming.

Naruto looked at Sally with a playful grin. "Has anyone ever told you that your son is a _genius_?"

"Not enough, sadly." Sally returned with a small frown. Naruto's chuckle made her look at him, to see the god look up at Percy with a grin.

"Good! Being smart's overrated, Percy. Find a pretty girl with big brains to do all the thinking for you," Naruto said informatively while Sally gaped at him.

Percy scrunched his nose up and scowled. "Girls are yucky."

"This is also true, but nevertheless! They are needed." Naruto chuckled when Sally waved her wooden spoon at him.

"Who are you to say that girls are yucky?" Sally asked.

"Are you kidding me? With all those things that happen later in their lives? Girls are _disgusting_." Naruto quickly ducked out of the kitchen with a giggling Percy in tow after Sally took a swat at Naruto's head.

"Don't say things like that around Percy, he's too young for it!"

"Ah, I heard worse when I was his age!"

Sally frowned and decided to go back to cooking while Naruto and Percy sat down on the couch, both quickly engrossed in _Pokémon_. They watched TV for another hour before Percy became bored. He then (re-)introduced Naruto to his toys, who quickly volunteered to be the villain as they played. Sally called the two into the kitchen a bit later and Percy blew out his candles. Naruto tried to get the wish out of him like he had the year before, but Percy was firm and unmoving.

While Percy enjoyed his blue cake, Naruto chuckled and ate the one corner of orange that Sally created for him. "He reminds me of his-"

"I know." Sally quickly interjected, a smile on her face. She fiddled with her fork for a moment before she quietly asked. "How is he?"

"Still watching over Percy whenever he can," Naruto said softly. The disguised god took a bite of the orange colored cake slice before him. "He saw me with you when you went to the aquarium."

"Aquarum?" Percy looked up, blue cake smeared slightly around his mouth. His sea green eyes glistened excitedly. He put more cake into his mouth and asked. "We goin' again?"

"Perseus Jackson, you finish chewing that food before you talk," Sally said firmly. While Percy worked on his intake, Sally turned to Naruto. "Did you get in trouble?"

Naruto chuckled around another bite. "For what? Keeping an eye on Percy? Nah. He did make me take an Oath though. Had Horkos witness it and everything."

"...Another knows-?" Sally asked worriedly.

"Three in total know of Percy," Naruto said softly. He finished his slice of cake and took care of his plate before he returned to the table. "My mother, my friend and myself. My friend watches over broken Oaths, so he found out once Poseidon had broken his. Horkos is no fool, nor is he merciless unlike his counterpart. He knows to keep quiet."

"Why are you whisperin', Root?" Percy asked in the only way a seven year old could.

Naruto turned to Percy and ruffled the mess of dark hair on his head. "Don't worry about it, Percy. Just talking about grown up stuff. Like, when is the birthday boy going to finish his cake so he can get his present?"

If that didn't distract Percy, then nothing would. Thankfully, like most birthday children, Percy beamed at the thought of presents and tried to hurry up his meal. Naruto winked at Sally, who shook her head.

"The way you act, you'd have children of your own," Sally said. She realized her words and looked at Naruto, who's eyes had changed from youthful blue to the blues of an old tired man.

"Yeah...something like that..." Naruto smiled in memory of his only true children. Boruto and Himawari Uzumaki. Both died before the end of their Age, the Age of Bronze. Naruto's jaw flexed and he shook himself from the memories when Percy declared that he had finished his cake.

"Can I open my presents now?" Percy asked innocently. Sally and Naruto laughed before Sally excused herself to grab something from upstairs. Percy turned to Naruto, who shrugged.

"Don't look at me, Percy. I don't know what it is." Naruto grinned when Percy pouted. The kid was a lot like himself as a child, minus the prankster streak. That could be fixed, though. Poseidon seemed to approve of his, Apollo and Hermes' pranks, so maybe there's a part of Percy that would enjoy it, too.

Sally returned with a large box wrapped in shiny blue paper, a green bow on the top.

"Here you are, Percy. Happy birthday," Sally said with a small kiss on Percy's cheek. Percy's smile widened and he tore into the box, elated when he pulled out two new action figures, both of which were mostly blue.

Naruto had to excuse himself and step outside while he 'obtained' his gift. Naruto walked out onto the porch and clapped his hands together as he closed his eyes. It wasn't hard for a god to create an inanimate object, but this was more familiar to Naruto, and he felt considering what he was going to make, it was necessary. Naruto's eyes opened to reveal crossed pupils and golden irises.

Naruto's hands flipped through several seals before he brought his hands clenched together. "Banbutsu Sōzō (Creation of All Things)!"

Naruto's hands shone bright orange. As he pulled his hands back, a blue cloth with a familiar metal protector bolted to the front appeared from thin air. Naruto exhaled when the creation was done, and his eyes returned to the blues he used to blend with humanity. He smiled down at the carved spiral set before him and traced it lightly with his thumb before he walked back into the house.

Percy looked up from where he played with his toys as Naruto crouched down in front of him, a serious look on his face.

"Percy," he said softly. "When I was your age, I was enrolled in a school that taught me how to protect my precious people. When I graduated, I was given a special headband from my favorite teacher." Naruto smiled lightly as he brought his hand from behind his back. "This is the symbol of the Leaf, where the Will of Fire burns forever brightly. And I want you to have it."

Percy's eyes looked at the offered headband in Naruto's hand. He put a hand on it, and was stopped from taking it by a hand Naruto placed over it.

"This is only one of the two gifts I have for you," Naruto said. "My other gift will be to teach you what I learned."

"...Like kung-fu?" Percy asked innocently.

Naruto smiled. "Better than Kung-Fu. You know the Power Rangers?"

"Yeah?"

Naruto leaned in and whispered. "I could beat all of them."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Oh yeah. And their Megazord."

"No way! You're lying," Percy protested. Nothing beat the Power Rangers or their Megazord.

Naruto looked at Sally, who was watching them from the couch. "Ask your mom. She knows."

Percy looked to Sally, who looked conflicted for a moment before she nodded. "He taught them everything the Power Rangers know, Percy. Even the blue ranger."

Percy looked back at Naruto with awe. "You're the Blue Rangers' teacher?"

"Yep, except I'm not a Power Ranger," Naruto said. "I am a ninja."

"Ninja!" Percy exclaimed. That made Naruto instant cool.

"The strongest ninja," Naruto said, his grin wide. "So tell me, Percy Jackson. You wanna be a ninja?"

"Yeah!"

Naruto smiled and let Percy take the headband. "First, enjoy your birthday, then tomorrow after school, I'll come back and teach you."

Percy nodded and rushed over to his mother, who tied his headband to his head. Percy began to pretend to be a Power Ranger and played with his new toys, while Naruto led Sally to the kitchen and told her why he said what he did.

"Your son is the son of a god," Naruto said. "Best intentions aside, sheltering him will not protect him forever. One day will come where you will wish you hadn't. I will ensure that you never feel guilty for loving your son, and give him a way to protect himself from monsters. It will not be easy, Sally. I will not go easy, either."

Sally grimaced at the god's words. "But he's so young-"

"Trust me, he's not that young. One of my teachers was only five when he began to learn what I will teach Percy." Naruto interrupted her. "I promise that he will return with nothing more than a small cut and some minor bruising."

Sally wanted to protest, but knew that it was for Percy's sake. "You're not going to do anything too bad, are you?"

"Well, I might throw him off the edge of a cliff...Happened to me when I was young..." Naruto hummed thoughtfully. He chuckled nervously when Sally grew horrified. "Kidding, kidding, I'd never do that to anyone. Well, not unless they really deserved it."

"...If you weren't a god, I would kick you out," Sally said with a frown.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that was a bad joke. Sorry."

* * *

"Don't lose focus. Reign in your temper. Beat me this time, Percy." Naruto grinned as he caught the now ten-year-old Percy's attempted roundhouse. The boy wore his headband less often in public than he did when he was younger, but he always wore it when Naruto trained him, something that made Naruto happy. It showed that Percy still wanted to train. As well as a blue gi that Naruto had 'gotten' as a gift. The material was lighter than what Naruto had worked with, but that helped Percy when it came to initially training him.

Percy grunted as he was thrown to the ground, but quickly returned to his feet and charged his teacher once again. He leapt into another roundhouse and pushed off of the blocking arm. Percy spring-boarded from the ground with a punch aimed at Naruto's cheek.

"Good recovery, Percy." Naruto appraised as he blocked Percy's punch. Naruto stopped a follow up knee with his other hand, his grin wide and proud as he pushed the boy back to the ground. "Very good! Flawless adaption and speed. But you're better than that. One hit, Percy, and you move onto the next step in the Gōken."

Naruto decided to teach Percy the style that Gai and Rock Lee mastered because of Percy's parentage. Poseidon was a powerhouse, like, stupidly powerful, even for a god. He could lift mountains over his head and throw them with ease. Poseidon shook the earth itself when the need arose. His affinity for earth was nearly on par with Hades'. It was to be expected that Percy was also over-powered, so Naruto worked with it and honed the boy to take hits and keep going. Again, Naruto was reminded of himself and his children.

The Uzumaki were meant to be tanks, plain and simple.

Percy was meant to be one as well, but unlike the Uzumaki, he needed guidance. Comrades to have his back.

With some uneasy whispers of some unnatural monster activity Naruto had been hearing on Olympus, Naruto had the feeling that Percy would be getting those comrades sooner than later.

So, Naruto had to push the training further.

"Come at me with the intent to kill, Percy." Naruto's smiled widened by another fraction when Percy hesitated. Percy wasn't keen on taking lives. That would make him stronger in the end, as stupid as it sounded. Taking a life was easy, but letting an enemy live? That was hard.

Percy grit his teeth and climbed to his feet. He jumped up and brought his leg up high.

"Leaf Drop, interesting choice." Naruto grinned as he braced himself. The leg landed against Naruto's crossed arms and Naruto felt himself move marginally into the earth. For a brief moment, Naruto let his excitement overcome him and his eyes flashed to their true form. Percy's determined look faltered and his follow up attack fell through as he lost balance.

"Ow," Percy groaned from where he landed on the ground. He rubbed his back and looked back at his teacher, the blond's eyes back to the blue they originally were. Weird, he could've sworn they had become balls of fire for a moment.

"You okay, Percy?" Naruto asked as he held a hand out.

"I'm good, I just thought I saw something. My ADHD distracted me again," Percy said with mild disappointment as he got to his feet with the older man's help. He groaned again when an alarm rang. "Man...I was so sure I got you, too."

Naruto chuckled. "Who said you didn't? Look behind me."

Percy looked behind Naruto and saw the imprint of his feet. The son of Poseidon gaped and looked back at the proudly grinning Naruto.

"That was all you, kid." Naruto placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "You're getting stronger and faster, but remember to keep control and focus."

"Yes, Sensei," Percy said, with a mocking bow. He got a light smack on the head.

"Don't call me that. Now c'mon, let's go get some grub and tomorrow we'll begin the first steps of being a Lotus user." Naruto nodded towards the car parked a good distance away.

Percy followed Naruto to the car and grinned. "I want a burger and a blue shake."

Naruto shook his head. "For the love of, Percy they don't serve Blue Shakes."

"They should." Percy frowned.

"If there's any shake that should be served, it's not _blue_, but _orange_." Naruto nodded firmly.

"Blech. Blue's the way to go, Naruto."

"Orange is the color of the gods!"

"Yeah, sure it is, Naruto."

"It is!"

* * *

"This is some serious bullshit." Naruto frowned as he stood outside of the council chambers on Olympus, still in mortal form. He just wanted to congratulate Percy on completing his first quest, but _no_, Zeus had to be all-uppity after all the crap the poor kid went through. And now they refused to believe what Percy said about The Crooked One? Seriously? Even the God of Peace knew when things were going to go bad, the theft of Zeus' Master Bolt was just the beginning. Naruto felt it in his ichor.

Naruto grunted as Hestia lightly whapped him with a poking iron. "Language."

"Percy's not even out here."

"Children can hear everything that isn't meant for their ears. It's an inherent talent, really," Hestia said with a sigh.

"I heard worse when I was his age. Hell, I was already looking at magazines. Ow! Seriously?"

"Language."

"Since when is Hell a swear? Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head and glowered at his mother. "This is punishment for something other than my language isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hestia said with a small smile.

Naruto frowned at her. "Uh-huh...sure."

The matter was dropped as the council doors opened and Percy walked out, Poseidon at his side. Hestia walked away before Percy or Poseidon could greet her. Naruto had seen the secretive smile on the First and Last Olympian's face. He grinned, his mom was a great prankster.

"Naruto?" Percy's question made Naruto look at him. "What are you doing here? Wait. Don't tell me you're a god, too."

"You know, I just might be," Naruto said playfully before he nodded to Poseidon. "Glad to hear everything is under control in there."

Poseidon frowned. "How did you hear anything?"

"The hearth may not have ears, but it always listens," Naruto said sagely.

Percy groaned. "That doesn't make sense."

"Your little girlfriend would get it," Naruto shot back with a grin. He laughed and Poseidon chuckled as Percy flushed red and hotly protested Naruto's words. Naruto wiped a tear from his eye and reverted his face to his godly one, his blue eyes replaced by flames and his beard shaven to reveal his whiskered cheeks. Naruto ruffled Percy's hair. "Good going, kid. I knew you had it in you. We'll stop training over weekends and shift everything to summertime."

"Training?" Poseidon asked, slightly interested and disturbed. "Training in what?"

Percy frowned. "You didn't know Naruto was training me?"

"He's the Lord of the Seas, Percy, not of the little plot of woods we train at," Naruto said with a grin. He placed a finger to his lips. "Remember, we are secretive." Naruto then nodded to a slightly disturbed Poseidon. "See you around, Uncle Side'n."

Naruto vanished in a swirl of leaves and Poseidon looked at his son. "What training is he talking about? Demigod training?"

"Can't say, Dad. I promised," Percy said with a playful smile that made Poseidon purse his lips before he shrugged.

"As long as you are safe. Come, let us talk before you return to Camp Half-Blood."

* * *

**AN: And there's Hestia's Naruto. Born from Fire, not breaking Hestia's oath, much like Artemis. Has potential to be continued, too. Bonus!**

**You know what to do: Review!**


	7. Phoebe's Second Gift

**AN: I have my own Apollo Naruto already...So...here's another glimpse at the future of Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_** or **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_**/**_**Heroes of Olympus**_**. Nor do I own the rights to any music that is used.  
**

**Sun's Heir Death's Guardian: Phoebe's Second Gift**

* * *

The sunlight came down through parted curtains of a large master bedroom in Hi no Kuni. A tanned arm lifted to shield a whiskered face and the light parted around it. A sun-like pupil within a blue eye cracked open and a groan left the tired lips of the owner.

"Dad...you suck _balls_." He mumbled. Surrendering to his father's bright call, Naruto tried to roll out of bed, only to be kept pinned by a lean arm draped over his chest. Naruto turned his head down to the short mop of black hair and smiled softly, his other hand coming up to rub her back. "Lia-chan, it's time to wake up."

Thalia scrunched her eyes together and burrowed her face into his shoulder. "No...I want another hour."

"Can't give you that." Naruto murmured as he rolled them over and covered her with his body. He planted soft kisses around her neck, making her writhe and whine in protest. "We gotta wake up before Bolt and Joan do. Get them ready."

"They can sleep a bit longer." Thalia protested as her arms wrapped around his neck. Electric blue eyes cracked open and stared into Naruto's unique sun-pupil filled blue ones. They both grinned at each other and their lips collided.

"They're kids. Fifteen more minutes of sleep is good for them." Naruto mumbled around the kiss.

Thalia moaned against his lips and her hands moved to intertwined into his hair. "Thirty minutes is fine."

"An extra hour of sleep never hurt anybody." Naruto conceded. They parted from their kiss and smiled at one another. Naruto pulled the covers over them, hiding them from the sunlight as they both became more intimate.

* * *

It was two hours later when the much happier parents left their bedroom. Thalia dressed in dark jeans, a tight Green Day shirt and combat sandals that she had learned to love. Naruto was her polar opposite, wearing lightly faded jeans and a form-fitting white shirt with a golden Omega on his chest. He also had a black headband with the symbol of Konoha tied around his right arm. Naruto shut the door to their bedroom and stood between two doors in the hall with his wife.

On one door were posters of various things that a five-year-old girl would enjoy. A happily drawn picture with four big stick figures and one little stick figure was plastered underneath four _pink_ letters that spelled out J-O-A-N.

On the other door was a large cartoonish yellow lightning bolt, a Hiraishin seal plastered atop the cartoonish lightning.

"So, heads I get to wake up Bolt, tails I wake up Joan," Naruto said, holding up a drachma.

"Oh, no. He's your son, too," Thalia said with a smirk. She went to her daughter's room and turned the knob. "You get to wake him up."

"Wha-but...Lia-chan!" Naruto protested with a look of horror as Thalia shut the door behind her. He grimaced. "You so want to see Bolt shock me again."

Thalia poked her head back out of the door. "Yes. Yes I do."

"...Why did I marry you again?" Naruto asked.

Thalia titled her head, pretending to think about it. "I think it had something to do with me being the love of your life?"

Naruto pursed his lips and thought about it. "...No. No, I think it might be because of the awesome sex. Yes. Yeah, I definitely married you because of the awesome sex."

"Pig." Thalia huffed with a small smirk before she shut the door.

"She loves it." Naruto grinned as he went into Bolt's room. He walked over to the crib made by his sister-in-law Katie Fletcher, carved from laurel wood and decorated with little lightning bolts, birds, and a fox curled into the a circle at the head. Naruto leaned on the edge and smiled down at the occupant of the crib.

"Look at you," he said, receiving a happy squeal from the wide awake baby boy. "Someone woke up to grandpa, huh? Or did Mommy and Daddy wake you up?"

The electric blue-eyed one-year-old clapped his chubby hands together, sparks coming from his fingers. Naruto's smile became nervous and he reached carefully into the crib. "Okay, buddy, don't shock Daddy today, huh? Big day today, Boruto."

Bolt squealed as his father picked him up and cradled him in his arms. Naruto sniffed and coughed, his head turned away from his son, before he grimaced at the boy.

"Talk about brewing a storm. Ugh, you're far too much like me," Naruto said as he took Bolt over to the diaper changing dresser and started to do one of his least favorite fatherly duties. Once the diaper was opened, the father recoiled. "Oh gods on Olympus, what is wrong with your digestion? That is not normal."

Bolt laughed at the look on his father's face. Naruto quickly dispensed of the used diaper – burning it with Katon and the air around it to get rid of the smell – and cleaned the residue up.

"Are you laughing at me?" Naruto asked after he cleaned his son, tickling his stomach. He grinned as Bolt's two faint whisker-marked cheeks spread with his laughter. "You laughing at me? Is Daddy's face funny?"

Bolt squealed and giggled, releasing a discharge that made Naruto yelp from the sudden shock and pull away. Naruto cursed softly in Greek as he shook his hands, allowing them to heal. Bolt stuck his hand in his mouth, his eyes bright in amusement, and Naruto couldn't help but smile at him.

"You, Boruto Uzumaki, are too cute to be mad at." Naruto smiled as he grabbed a new diaper and proceeded to put it on Bolt. He poked Bolt's side and grinned even more when Bolt squealed. "Don't tell anyone I said that, though."

"I'm going to tell everyone." Naruto turned to look at Thalia, who smirked at him.

Naruto frowned at her before he turned back to Bolt, who was staring at his hand, while he finished getting the diaper on. "Mommy's such a meanie, Bolt. Did you know that she wanted to name you Billie Joe?"

"It's a good name!" Thalia protested as she walked into the room and pushed him away. She looked down at her son and grabbed his hand, drawing his attention and making him squeal happily. "I only decided to name you Boruto when I saw how much you looked like your dad." Thalia gave Naruto a smirk before she leaned into Bolt's face and stage whispered. "You're much cuter than he is, though."

"Ouch. Hurtful." Naruto put a hand on his chest. He walked up behind Thalia and leaned over her to smile at Bolt. "But very true."

"Go make sure your daughter doesn't flood the bathroom again and wash her hair," Thalia said as she rubbed her nose against Bolt's. "I'll make sure my son gets dressed."

"Why is it that whenever they do something bad they're mine and whenever they're being adorable they're yours?" Naruto asked with a frown.

Thalia turned and smirked at him. "Because you didn't carry them in your stomach for nine months."

Naruto pursed his lips. "Fair enough." He kissed her cheek and then walked out of the baby room towards the kids' shared bathroom. He knocked on the door and pressed his ear against it. The sound of water being splashed and giggles brought a smile to his face. "Hime, you in the tub?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Joan called back

"Can I come in to wash your hair?"

"Hai~!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the playful shout and entered the bathroom. He closed his eyes and groaned when soapy water splashed his foot. "Hime...did you turn the faucet off?"

"Um...Oopsie?"

Naruto opened his eyes and whimpered at the water damage to the bathroom floor. "This is going to cost a lot to fix. Joan. Turn the water off."

"Sorry, Daddy," Joan said softly. The bath water sloshed as she moved to the other end of the tub and turned the water off.

"It's okay, Hime. You've got to stop flooding the bathroom, though. Uncle Dork's not going to have any water at his lake if you keep this up." Naruto said as he walked over to the tub. He reached into the water and pulled the plug, letting it drain for a bit before he put the plug back in place. Naruto put his hands on his hips and stared down at his daughter.

Joan was a mirror image of her mother. They both had freckles and black hair. if it weren't for the faint whiskers under her eyes, Naruto wouldn't be sure if Thalia even had a daughter or a clone. Right now, her sun-like pupils were apologetic and it wasn't in his heart to stay mad at her.

"I'm really sorry, Daddy." Joan's bottom lip trembled.

_That is so not fair._ Naruto sighed and pulled the stool he and Thalia used to avoid sitting on the ground over. "I know, sweetie. I hope you left some water for Poseidon to rule over. Now c'mere and let me wash your hair."

"Okay!" The sad look disappeared and Joan grabbed her shampoo. Naruto smiled as he washed his daughter's hair while she recited the dream she had the night before to him. Thankfully there hadn't been another soap in the eye incident. Naruto was not in the mood to be caught up in a hurricane in a bathroom.

* * *

"We're going to Camp! We're going to Camp! We're going to Camp!" Joan sang as Naruto piggybacked her down the stairs. Joan was dressed in tan cargo pants, the child's equivalent to her parent's combat sandals, and she had picked out black shirt with a golden Omega on the front and a large Uzumaki spiral on the back, despite Naruto trying to urge her to dress a bit nicer. Then again, he and Thalia were dressed rather causally, but they were used to that sort of thing.

"Yes, yes we are Hime. Please use your inside voice," Naruto said as he walked into the kitchen, where Thalia fed Bolt while he sat in his high chair. "Okay, Hime, time to get down and get some food."

"Okay Daddy! Morning Mommy!" Joan smiled as she slipped down from her father's back.

"Morning, Joan." Thalia smiled at her daughter and then looked back at Bolt as she scooped up some of his breakfast as it slipped out of his mouth. "I put some bread in the toaster."

"I'll get the fire extinguisher." Naruto chuckled while Thalia frowned at him.

"I'm not that bad of a cook."

"No, but you are accident-prone in the kitchen," Naruto said as he walked over and kissed her softly on the lips.

"You're so lucky you're cute," Thalia mumbled when he pulled away.

"I know," Naruto said with a smirk. He moved to the fridge and pulled out some eggs. He smiled at Thalia as he started to make breakfast. "I'm pretty sure the only thing you can make without risk of ever going wrong, is your heavenly Ramen."

"Mommy's Ramen is the bestest!" Joan proclaimed with a stern nod. She smiled at her brother. "Baby Bolt will agree when he has some too!"

"Unlike you, missy, Bolt won't be having Ramen until he's got all his teeth in," Thalia said as she scooped up some more of Bolt's breakfast and fed him. Thalia smirked. "And his first full teeth meal will be a nice, juicy hamburger."

"I'm going to have to do some sort of quest for Hera before then," Naruto mumbled. He cracked the eggs into a pan. "Or ask Dad if I can have some beef from his cows."

"I wanna visit Grampa!" Joan cried happily.

"No, no-no-no, we're going to Camp today, Joan." Thalia interjected quickly. "Remember? We're going to see Uncle Jason, Aunt Piper, Aunt Annie, and Mr. Chiron."

"And Uncle Leo?" Joan asked.

Thalia frowned slightly while Naruto chuckled. "We'll see Uncle Leo and Uncle Nico, too."

"Don't make promises like that," Thalia said softly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Leo's engaged, he's not going to flirt again."

"...I still don't want to talk to di Angelo."

"He had to ban hamburgers to keep the deal with Olympus, Thalia," Naruto said. He sighed sadly as he flipped the omelets he was making. "He also banned Ramen, so I feel your pain."

"That was just financially brilliant," Thalia said with a smirk. She cleaned away some food on Bolt's face. "What about Jackson? Is he going to be at the reunion?"

"Uncle Dork!" Joan crowed excitedly. "He's got a pretty pony!"

"Yes, Uncle Dork has a pretty pony," Naruto chuckled as he set an omelet on a plate and set it on the table in front of Joan. "I'm pretty sure if Annie's going, Jackson is going to be guaranteed to be there."

"That's true." Thalia smiled in thanks as an omelet was set in front of her. "You shouldn't call Blackjack a pony, Joan."

"But he's a pony. Like Zephy!" Joan said happily as she ate her omelet.

"Point to the five year old," Naruto said from the sink as he washed the pan. He set the pan on the counter to dry and went to eat his breakfast. "Ten bucks says Annie and Piper are pregnant."

"Twenty says Piper is and Annie's keeping it secret." Thalia smirked as she took a bite of her omelet. "Think the Zhangs will show up?"

"If Reyna's still on her mission from Olympus? Nah, leave of pregnancy or not, Frank's duty comes first." Naruto chuckled. "Jupiter's still up and running, and a lot of old Roman blood refuses to move."

"The Roman's are dumb," Thalia said as she tried to get Bolt to eat some more breakfast. "Come on sweetie, just a bit more."

"I'm done! Daddy, can I go color?" Joan asked.

Naruto looked at Thalia. "We have enough time, right?"

"Send another pair of eyes to make sure she doesn't make a mess," Thalia said. She pouted at Bolt. "Come on, baby, just eat some more cereal. Yum, yum, yum. See? Mommy likes it." Thalia ate some of the cereal and made exaggerated pleased noises.

Naruto made a clone that was quickly dragged off by Joan to go color. He finished his breakfast and cleaned up his and Joan's plates. "Lia, he's not going to eat anymore if he's full."

"He's got your stomach, he doesn't get full. If I can get him to eat a bit more, maybe he'll sleep most of the day at Camp and not cry. You know how he gets when he leaves the house." Thalia pointed out as she tried to feed him again. "Come on, Bolt."

"Thalia, you eat and I'll feed him." Naruto took the cereal and took a seat next to Bolt. He grinned at the boy and scooped up some cereal on the spoon. "Hey, buddy. I know you're hungry."

Bolt stubbornly pulled away from the spoon and started to fuss. Naruto set the spoon in the cereal bowl and rubbed Bolt's head. "C'mon, buddy. Don't cry."

"Is he sick? Should we call it off" Thalia asked, concerned for Bolt's health.

Naruto shook his head and pulled his hand away, smiling at his son as he started to snuffle. "No, he's not sick. Maybe he's teething?"

"He could've bitten down on the spoon." Thalia took a bite of her omelet and looked over at her son when he started to fuss again. Both parents shared a look before they looked at Bolt. Thalia cut a small bit of her omelet away and stabbed it with her fork. She held it out to Bolt and he opened his mouth wide, eating the omelet happily.

"Someone was jealous." Naruto chuckled as Thalia shared her omelet with Bolt. "He wants to be just like Mommy."

"Better than being like his fool of a father," Thalia said. She smiled at her son. "Isn't that right, Bolt?"

"You are so _not_ allowed to talk with my aunt." Naruto mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I don't talk with your aunt," Thalia said. She continued to smile at Bolt as they shared an omelet. "I do talk with your mother."

"...Figures." Naruto looked towards the front at a knock on the door. He patted Bolt on the head as he got up. "Don't let her fill your head up with crazy ideas. That's my job."

"Daddy's so funny, huh?" Thalia asked as Bolt giggled. "Yes, and he likes sleeping on the couch, too."

"So cruel." Naruto mumbled as he walked to the front door. He opened the door to find a tall dark haired man with a small triangular beard on his chin. He was dressed in a relaxed shirt with his headband pinned to the sleeve and slacks. Naruto immediately tried to shut it. "Go away, Shikamaru. I'm off for two weeks!"

The Jonin Commander kept his foot between the door and the doorway. "This is important, Naruto."

"No, no-no-no-no-no, no. By the way, did I say no?" Naruto asked as he tried to keep the door shut. "Shikamaru, move your foot."

"It's from the Rokudaime, Naruto."

"I'm going to roast your foot if you don't move it," Naruto said with a frown.

"I say do it!" Thalia called from the kitchen.

Naruto gave his old friend a light smirk. "You heard the lady."

"Don't make me force you, Naruto." Shikamaru groaned.

"You force me?" Naruto opened the door. "This is serious."

"Naruto, I'm going to clean Bolt up." Thalia walked in with the baby on her hip. "If _he's_ not gone when I come down, _you're_ going to find out how comfortable the couch feels with a charred ass."

Naruto grimaced at the threat and looked back at Shikamaru. "Please tell me you're not asking me to do a mission for the village."

"I'd be lying if I did that," Shikamaru said as clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder in sympathy. "I feel your pain. Temari's more troublesome than usual since she saw Gaara again."

"Thalia hasn't seen Jason since he and Piper got married," Naruto said with a sigh. "They were on their honeymoon when Bolt was born."

"They haven't visited in a year?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto shrugged. "They're young and in love–"

"I don't really care."

"Well you should, because Thalia will only char my ass after she's obliterated yours." Naruto pointed out.

Shikamaru swallowed and shivered. "...Right. Troublesome women."

"Don't let Thalia hear you say that." Naruto crossed his arms. "What's the mission."

"Observe and report. Here's the details." Shikamaru pulled a folder from under his arm and held it out. "Have a nice day."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there, bud." Naruto stopped the high-ranking shinobi with a hand on his shoulder. His eyes didn't leave the top page of the folder. "You do know what you're asking."

"Hokage's asking. I told him to not bother with it. Turn the page and you'll see why," Shikamaru said.

Naruto flipped the page and let out a loud groan. "I hate politics...When I'm Hokage, remind me to fire those old bats."

"I'm pretty sure that's the only reason the Rokudaime hasn't fired them yet, so you get the pleasure," Shikamaru said. He looked up to the stairs. "Mind letting me go so our wives don't try to kill each other later?"

"Good call." Naruto nodded and released the jonin. Shikamaru vanished in a flicker, just as Joan came down the stairs and slammed into Naruto's leg. "Daddy, you poofed!"

Naruto shut the folder and smiled down at her. "I did? Then how am I right here?"

"Not you, Daddy, other you!" Joan said.

"Ohh! Well, why'd he go do something like that?" Naruto asked as he crouched down and picked Joan up. Her arms encircled his neck and he smiled at her. "Maybe it had something to do with...you throwing crayons when he said to clean up?"

"I was cleaning..."

"You were throwing crayons," Naruto said, giving her a look. "You know better than to throw your toys, Hime."

"I didn't mean to...Daddy said to toss him the colors I was done with." Joan frowned.

Naruto grimaced. Stupid clones, they meant well, but they forgot certain rules from time to time. Well, forgot was being generous. They liked to 'ignore' rules Naruto kept in mind.

"Next time, Hime, remind Daddy that Mommy doesn't like it when you throw things," Naruto said as he gave Joan a kiss on the cheek. He dropped the file in the hearth of the fireplace and snapped his fingers, igniting the file. Joan giggled at the sight of her father performing 'magic' and Naruto grinned at her. "Don't tell Mr. Nara that Daddy burned his file."

"Okay, Daddy."

Naruto kissed Joan again and grinned at her. "That's my girl."

* * *

"I wanna ride Zephy!" Joan pouted as her mother buckled her into a car seat. Next to her, peacefully talking to his stuffed fox in his baby carrier car seat, Bolt's head tilted to the side and he stared at his sister. Joan pointed at him. "See? Bolt wants to ride Zephy too!"

"No, Joan." Thalia sighed as she adjusted the padded seatbelt to correctly cover her daughter's chest. She looked at the lifted hood, where behind it, Naruto was double-checking Soul's engine. The classic challenger hadn't rusted or been damaged in any way since Naruto hid it in a cave outside of the Land of Waves. Something about a seal that she didn't understand.

Joan pouted further and crossed her arms unhappily. Thalia finished adjusting the seatbelt and lightly pinched the tip of her daughter's nose. Joan cracked a smile and Thalia smiled back at her. "Be good and you can choose the music."

Joan brightened at the prospect. "Can we listen to my tape, Mommy?"

"Be good and keep Bolt quiet." Thalia reiterated. Thalia closed Joan's door and looked over at Naruto as he put the hood down. "We ready to go?"

"It all looks good on this end. Seatbelts adjusted?" Naruto asked as he went to the driver's side and got in the car. Thalia got into the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on, with Naruto doing the same.

When a car could go as fast as the speed of light and then stop on a dime, seatbelts were a must.

"Adjusted and Bolt's pillow is in place," Thalia said. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her children. "Comfy?"

"Yes, Mommy! Can we listen to music, now?" Joan asked with a pout.

Naruto chuckled and started the car. The engine roared to life and Bolt let out an excited giggle. Thalia glowered at Naruto, who smiled innocently.

"He got that from you."

"What? It's not my fault he likes listening to the Fuzzball's purrs."

"Just drive, Whiskers." Thalia shook her head and activated the dashboard. Thalia flipped through the music selections on the touch screen and hit the one that was labeled _Joan's Songs_.

Naruto nodded his head as a bubbly pop version of the Little Mermaid's "Under The Sea" came on. Thalia sighed and grabbed some ear buds that would cancel the kid song out, how her husband could stand it, she didn't know. It had to be from Apollo. That was the only explanation she could think of.

With a glance in the mirror, Thalia smiled as Joan sang along with her father, who was drumming on the wheel as he sped off over the ocean. Even Bolt seemed to be clapping in time with the drivel that came from the radio. Thalia shook her head again and listened to her personal music, wondering just what was wrong with her family.

Again, she attributed it to Apollo's genes.

Thalia pulled the ear buds out when the song ended and a song she didn't know was on the playlist started.

"A mouse catched, a mouse catched, if you only gots a mouse catched!" Joan sang the words incorrectly as the Moustache Song played. Bolt giggled and clapped with his sister out of tune.

"What...is _this_ doing on her list?" Thalia asked her husband with a small glare. The film this song came from was absolutely _not_ to be shown to her children. Stupid Seth MacFarlane and his immature adult humor, he was turning her husband into a teenager again. Then again, it probably wasn't entirely MacFarlane's fault. Apollo was somehow behind this. He was behind everything bad on television.

Naruto shifted. "She...may have run into my office when I was on break and searching the web."

"Searching the web for what, _exactly_?" Thalia's eyes narrowed.

Naruto glanced at her. "Really? Don't you trust me?"

"Well, there was this thing where you didn't tell me my brother was alive," Thalia said nonchalantly.

"Oh, that so does not count anymore! That was years ago!"

"The point still stands."

Naruto grimaced. "I was bored and surfing YouTube. It came on after I was watching old Robot Chicken sketches..."

"And she didn't see any of those?"

"Well...maybe "Weasel Stomping Day"...But that one's just like a cartoon music video."

Thalia rubbed her eyes as Joan continued to sing about catching mice. Naruto glanced at her with a small smile.

"C'mon," he said. "You gotta admit, a mouse catched is a very exciting gift to receive."

Thalia thought about it for a moment and smiled. "Yeah, the Pied Piper loves her mice."

Naruto snorted at the Halloween get together a few years back. Piper had dressed up as the Pied Piper while she somehow convinced Jason to go as a mouse. Naruto never discovered if Piper charmed Jason into it or if Jason willingly dressed as the mouse, but either way they rightfully earned that award for Best Costumed Couple. There was a framed photo of them on the wall back home, with Piper holding her flute in the air while she grabbed Jason's butt, though that part was hidden, but the memory remained. It was also the year they discovered that Piper McLean was a lightweight.

"Ah...Good times." Naruto smiled as the song came to an end and Thalia blocked out the next one with her headphones. Honestly, what did she have against The Lion King's "Hakuna Matata?"

* * *

The trip to Camp Olympia wasn't as long as it used to be. Naruto really had to hand it to the children and legacies of the smith god, they were top of their line when they worked together. He put Sol in park and got out of the car along with Thalia. Both went to the respective child seated behind them and Naruto grinned as he picked Bolt up in his arms.

"Hey, bud, time to wake up." Naruto urged the drowsy legacy of Apollo. He chuckled as Bolt let out a large yawn, but stubbornly refused to wake up. Bolt, like his mother, did not like to be roused from his sleep.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy look!" Joan excitedly grabbed onto her father's leg and pointed at the giant slab of earth that floated above the geographic center of the United States. Golden chains with links that were as large as the car they rode in kept the slab anchored to the planet while Olympians' power kept the slab invisible as well as afloat.

"Yes, Hime, I can see that," Naruto said as he handed Bolt to Thalia. He picked Joan up under her arms and settled her on his hip. With a smile on his face, Naruto looked at his wife. "Ready?"

"Just teleport us already," Thalia said with a grunt. She was still not okay with heights, and Camp Olympia's position always sort of irked her.

Naruto used his free hand to intertwine with Thalia's before he looked up at the floating island that was Camp Jupiter. "Hiraishin!"

The family of four vanished away from their car in a golden flash and reappeared at the massive gates of Camp Olympia, marked with a large golden omega on the oak gates.

"C'mon, let's get away from the edge before we fall off," Thalia said with a frown at the thought. Naruto complied, but shook his head. Maybe he should've done something about her phobia when he was younger. Probably not, he already caused his wife a lot of pain.

As they walked through the slightly opened gates, Joan suddenly squealed and waved behind Naruto, which prompted him and Thalia to stop and turn around just to see another group appear in a dimmed white flash. They probably used the seal created at the geographic marker. The couple was familiar and Naruto grinned at them. He set Joan down and let her run over to them, nearly bowling over the blond man as she jumped into his stomach.

"Uncle Jay!" Joan's happy voice traveled to them. Thalia's lips quirked into a smirk as Jason carried the giggling Joan over his shoulder back to them and Piper continued to giggle at her husband's misfortune.

"Thalia, Naruto, it seems you've declared war." Jason drawled. He shifted his arm and Joan let out a squeal. "Be aware, that this missile was a dud and we can begin peace negotiations anytime you see fit."

"Alright. We accept your surrender," Naruto said with a grin.

"That's not the negotiation," Jason said dryly. He grunted as Joan plucked a hair from his head. "Joan! That hurt!"

"Suwender, Uncle Jay!" Joan declared with a laugh. "Suwender!"

"Piper don't laugh, do something!" Jason grunted as his hair came under attack.

Piper, who looked radiant as usual with long hair and feathers braided into a lock in front of her left ear, giggled as she nudged him. "Better 'suwender' Jason. Even I can't harm a wild child. Especially if she came from these two."

"Those are fighting words," Thalia said with a frown. She smiled though. "Can't wait to see how you'll handle parenthood with a kid that can fart lightning."

"Prepare to buy lots of rubber gloves, Pipes." Naruto advised, which made the girl laugh. Once Naruto got Joan back, he and Jason shook hands while Piper and Thalia hugged in greeting. Naruto gave Piper a quick hug as Thalia gave her giant of a little brother a tight one-armed hug and introduced him to his new nephew, who looked up at Jason in the usual fascinated awe babies had when they met someone new.

"He's so cute," Piper said with a smile as she gently rubbed Bolt's whiskered cheek with a finger. "What's his name?"

"Boruto Uzumaki." Thalia ignored the proud grin that crossed Naruto's face. "We call him Bolt, though."

"Isn't that kind of a bad name?" Jason asked. He grunted when Piper elbowed him in the side. "Ow, what?"

"I think it's cute." Piper argued and smiled down at the baby. "He's got Thalia's eyes."

"Don't fall in love with him for it," Naruto teased, since Bolt, Thalia and Jason shared the same eyes and Piper admitted to liking Jason's eyes the most. He relaxed and adjusted Joan on his hip. "So, you two lovebirds have fun on your year away from everyone?"

Piper grinned lightly and put her hand over her stomach, which looked like it had a small bump now that she pressed down on her shirt. "You could say that."

"Congratulations! But so soon?" Thalia asked. "You've guys have only been married a year."

"At least we managed to wait that long," Jason said with a smirk that got him a punch in the arm from his sister.

"Shut it, Gigantor."

"Still though, congrats Pipes!" The whiskered shinobi smiled at one of his pseudo sisters as she smiled back. Naruto gained a serious look and directed it at Piper. "Pray that the worst they can do is make hurricanes with their tears. Getting shocked by your child is not fun. Have lots of rubber gloves on standby. Especially on diaper duty!" He glowered at Joan, who tried to make him smile with her hands. "And _don't_ let them watch an anime called Beelzebub."

"Baby Bolt zaps Daddy like Baby Beel!" Joan smiled happily. "I teached him to!"

"Noted." Piper giggled as Naruto gained a haunted look in his eye. She looked at Jason. "Well, if he does become a zapper, then daddy will just be on diaper duty all the time."

Jason shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that."

"You say that now!" Naruto quickly pounced as he glowered at the younger blond. "But when the storm comes...every day..." Naruto shuddered and looked at Thalia. "By the way, what did Bolt eat yesterday? Because this morning was something out of H. P. Lovecraft."

"Was it his first bowl of Ramen?" Jason asked. Naruto looked horrified at the notion. Ramen wasn't evil! It would never punish him with a horrible BM like that!

"Ramen?! Mommy can I have some ramen?" Joan asked eagerly.

"No Joan, we're not having Ramen. And Bolt's not on real solids yet," Thalia said as she handed Bolt over to Jason while Joan pouted. "Here, hold this."

"Uh, wait! Why?" Jason asked nervously. He hardly held Joan when she was younger than one. He felt like he was going to crush Bolt.

"Practice," Naruto said wisely. He looked at his pouting daughter and bounced her lightly. "Hey, cheer up Hime. Tell you what, at lunch time Daddy will take you to get some Ramen."

"Yay!"

"Naruto, don't bribe her like that," Thalia said with a frown as she searched in the baby bag for something. She smirked and whipped out a camera, used to quickly fire a shot of a nervous Jason holding Bolt. "There, only a year late."

"I want one of those," Piper said as Thalia took Bolt back by an all too eager Jason. Piper looked at him in amusement. "Seriously, you need to get used to holding infants. You're going to have one, soon."

"Honestly, Jay," Naruto added with a disappointed shake of his head that Joan copied. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Like you were any better." Jason mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I've been taking care of babies since I was twelve, it's a common D-rank." Naruto pointed at Joan. "Just be grateful you don't have the Uzumaki genetics in your family pool. This one was trying to walk by the time she was five months."

"Bolt's thankfully not as adventurous," Thalia said with a smile to her baby.

"Yet." Naruto added under his breath.

"What was that?" Thalia asked.

"Nothing, Lia."

Thalia narrowed her eyes at the innocent smile her husband gained. "I'm sure it was just the wind."

Naruto shrugged. "Probably. Maybe Joan farted again."

"Ew! Daddy!" Joan giggled.

"What?" Naruto looked at her with a smirk. "Gonna deny it?"

"Ladies don't fart!" Joan argued despite her giggles.

Piper smirked. "She's got a point there, Naruto."

Naruto poked Joan in the stomach. "You, my little hime, are not a lady. You're an Uzumaki! Uzumaki fart _all_ the time."

There was a soft toot and Bolt shifted in his mother's arms slightly with a relieved smile on his face. Thalia gave her husband a dry look, as if it was his fault that Bolt chose that moment to fart loud enough to be heard. Naruto ignored it and looked back at his snickering daughter.

"See? Bolt knows what's on the hap-hap," Naruto said with a nod.

Piper arched a brow. "The 'hap-hap'? That sounds like something Leo would say. Speaking of, have you guys seen him yet?"

"Considering they just got here like we did, I'm going to go with no," Jason said. He looped his arm around Piper's shoulders and grinned at his sister. "We're going to go find the pyro and meet you in the square for dinner?"

"Sure, it'll be like old times," Thalia said with a smile. "Just, you know, without Titans or monsters trying to kill us."

The two families parted after Joan got a hug from her auntie and uncle. Naruto and Thalia took their kids to meet with other members of Naruto's extended family. They ran into a few of his younger half-siblings and cousins, Roman aunts and uncles that were delighted to see the founder of Camp Olympia again. They ran into Lee and Katie, the daughter of Demeter showing a bump of her own under her green dress while Lee was dressed in his own white and gold getup that most of Apollo's Cabin had donned after the end of the Second Titanomachy.

Then they ran into, with much surprise on their faces, the Rokudaime. Kakashi had to quickly shush the excited Joan, who was so glad to see her Kyofu (Godfather), before he was exposed. He wasn't exactly supposed to be away from the village without guard, but then again, he did leave a clone to deal with everything that morning. That, and his fellow children of Aphrodite would undoubtedly try to – shudder – restyle his Hokage attire.

It was shortly after that encounter that the family encountered the most tired looking couple they had seen. The elation and relief that crossed the eyes of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase-Jackson made Naruto laugh as he released his elated daughter to launch into them.

"Auntie Annie!" Joan cheered as the young and already famous architect caught her. Joan wrapped her arms around Annabeth's neck and gave her a hug. "I missed you!"

"Aw, I missed you, too, Joanie." Annabeth returned with a smile. Her long hair was pulled back into her signature ponytail and her grey eyes sparkled as she looked at her pseudo niece/goddaughter.

Joan's attention turned to the slightly taller man with shaggy dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard that looked like his father's. The daughter of Naruto Uzumaki beamed at him and waved. "Hiya Uncle Dork!"

Percy's grin fell slightly and he glowered at Thalia and Naruto, green eyes glistened with annoyance. "Really? I thought that was a onetime thing?"

"I thought it was impossible for a son of Poseidon to fall off of a boat." Naruto returned good-naturedly.

"You told _him_!? Annabeth..." Percy groaned. It was an accident, someone had shoved him over and he had specified that to everyone who'd been mentioning it for the past three days. There was even photographic evidence of the act before and after. If it weren't for the fact they were all college students that were _very_ keen at observation, Percy would've simply jumped off of the surface of the water before anyone could have taken notice.

Annabeth shrugged and continued to smile at her goddaughter. "I only told Thalia. She told Naruto."

"It had to be said." Thalia smirked as she walked up and offered her son. "Want this one?"

"Gladly!" Annabeth excitedly swapped out to hold the baby.

Naruto gave Percy an amused look as the dark haired man took Joan from Thalia and set her with ease on his hip. Percy made a face at Naruto and then started to try to convince Joan to A) Not call him 'Uncle Dork' and B) No, he couldn't call Blackjack over to give her a ride. It was a losing battle.

"Daddy, I wanna ride the ponies but Uncle Dork won't let me!" Joan pouted.

Naruto shrugged. "Sorry, Hime, but I'm with Uncle Dork on this one."

"Do you _really_ have to encourage that name?" Percy asked.

"Well of all the 'D' words we could've chosen, I'd like to think we went with the most 'G' rated of them all," Naruto said with a shrug. "After all, not every son of Poseidon falls off of a ship."

"Oh, for the love of-I was pushed and there were too many mortals around!" Percy argued.

"Uh-huh, whatever helps you float your boat, Percy," Naruto said with a grin. He laughed while Percy's eye twitched.

"Hey, Uncle Dork, you look like Kibble Breath when he and Daddy are talking!" Joan pointed out happily.

"Kibble Breath?" Percy asked.

"Kiba." Naruto added helpfully. He grunted when Thalia stomped on his foot. "Ow."

"What have I told you about letting Joan using nicknames for people?" Thalia asked him sternly.

"Um, not to?"

"Yes!" Thalia crossed her arms. "So why is she?"

"Uh...because I'm an idiot?" Naruto asked.

Thalia frowned at him and sighed. "Well, at least you admit it."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Percy asked.

"Hush, Percy," Annabeth said as she absentmindedly cooed at Bolt. The happy mini-clone of Naruto was enthralled with a toy owl she had pulled out. "Just give Joanie her gift."

"Oh, right," Percy said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stuffed horse. "Here Joan."

"Yay! Pony!" Joan squealed as she snatched the toy from him.

"Joan..." Thalia frowned at her daughter. "What do you say?"

"Thank you Uncle Dork!"

Percy sighed. "That's as good as I'm going to get, isn't it?"

"Probably." Thalia, Naruto and Annabeth agreed.

The group hung out, exchanged stories, and ate lunch when the time came for it. Around dinnertime, they met up with Leo, Jason and Piper. Leo showed them pictures of his latest projects and his engagement ring – "She got it for me to keep the young hotties off of this stud muffin."

Overall it was a good evening and it only got better once Will walked over to steal Naruto away.

* * *

Naruto walked up to the microphone on stage after he gave Lee and Will brotherly hugs. He was told this was going to happen a week before they left and had been waiting for it. Naruto grabbed the microphone and cleared his throat.

"We were gathered here to celebrate the birth of Olympus' newest god, the daughter of Apollo and first Greek goddess of the Sun, Hikari." The children and legacies of the sun god in the crowd let out a cheer at his words, and Naruto settled them with a raised hand. "I know, I know! Like with all of my brothers and sisters, I am thrilled to have a new member of our large family! We've heard songs dedicated to her, to the merriment of my mother and father's marriage, to the other gods, and to the continuation of Olympus itself."

The audience clapped and Naruto quieted them again.

"However, this song is dedicated to the next generation, who Hikari will rule over. The kings and queens of mankind, those who will come in the future and our legacies." Naruto smiled as he looked over at his gathered family, by blood or by bonds, and then looked at Lee. Lee grinned back and began to softly pick at his guitar strings.

Naruto calmly held the microphone and closed his eyes. "Hope when you take that jump, you don't fear the fall. Hope when the water rises, you built a wall."

Will started to drum lightly in the back and the curtain behind them spread to reveal a screen. The screen started to show stills of various campers before and after the Titanomachy. One showed Percy Jackson lifted into the air by various campers after Kronos' defeat, the next showed Jason after he had toppled Kronos' throne.

"Hope when the crowd screams out, they're screaming your name." Naruto sang gently as an image of him after he defeated Obito came on the screen.

A flash of the Neo Argonauts appeared on the screen. The eight heroes were seated at a table in the mess hall. A large balloon-like robot set a steaming bowl of noodles down in front of Naruto, who laughed at something Mark said from where he was seated across from him, while the son of Ares was shoved by the daughter of Ceres Leila. Silena and Beckendorf were sitting next to each other, the daughter of love with her arm tightly wrapped around Beckendorf's as they smiled at the camera. Across from them, Hazel and Frank were discussing something with Malcolm.

"Hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay." Naruto's voice was soft, but it had entranced all who watched. An image of Leo defending the Brooklyn Bridge from Kronos' forces came on the screen.

The screen began to flash through something out of Aphrodite's scrap book of top demigod couples. Annabeth and Percy sharing a moment on the beach. Piper and Jason sitting under the stars. Frank and Hazel cleaning a cohort. Silena and Beckendorf watching fireworks. The final one showed Naruto and Thalia sitting on the hood of his car watching a drive-in movie.

"Hope that you fall in love, and it hurts so bad." Naruto continued as his emotions began to reach the audience. "The only way you can know is give it all you have!"

The screen switched to Leo riding his happy bronze dragon and the image turned into a film. Leo thrust his fist in the air and cheered, which made Naruto chuckle.

"And I hope that you don't suffer, but take the pain..." A visual of Naruto and Killer Bee bumping fists came on the screen. The music came to a still as Naruto's eyes opened. "Hope when the moment comes you'll say..."

He and his brothers took in light breaths before they proclaimed: "I, I did it all! I, I did it all-l-l." Naruto nodded his head as videos of the demigods training passed by, particularly a moment where Percy disarmed Luke on his first day. "I owned every second that this world could give!"

The screen showed a young Jason on a train as it passed into another state. The image dissolved as Jason looked out his window to a video of a young Piper looking at a camera and smiling after she looked out of an airplane. "I saw so many places, the things that I did!"

The video went to Frank falling off his bike as a young boy, but stubbornly getting back on despite the deep scrape he got. Then an image of a young Naruto as he exploded from the ground and delivered an uppercut to a young Neji went on the screen, his fist bleeding from digging with his bare hands.

"With every broken bone, I swear I lived." Naruto ended softly before he and his brothers started to vocalize. The screen shifted to Leo and Piper sharing a laugh after they participated in tug of war against each other.

"Hope that you spend your days, but they all add up." Naruto smiled as the crowd began to cheer. The screen showed side by side moments of Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood toasting to the Olympians. "And when that sun goes down, hope you raise your cup!"

The video then switched back to stills and showed baby pictures of several campers. The Stolls as young boys had candy in their mouths that was not theirs, Dionysus' twins playing in a garden, Artemis' Hunters cleaning their campsite (that picture was donated by Apollo and edited by Will), and finally showed Hazel riding a horse with a lookalike Leo. The next picture was of a baby Jason in Thalia's arms the young daughter of Zeus had a nervous smile on her face as she held the baby; after that switched to an _old_ picture of Bianca and Nico di Angelo in Italy, and following that was a picture of a _very_ young Percy Jackson in the bathtub.

"Oh, I wish that I could witness all your joy and all your pain." Naruto sighed. "But until my moment comes, I'll say..."

"I, I did it all!" Will and Lee sang along with him. Lee moved to the edge of the stage and called for the audience to sing along. As usual, when prompted to do something by an entertainer, the loyal audience sang the line with them. "I, I did it all!"

"I owned every second that this world could give! Saw so many places, the things that I did! With every broken bone, I swear I lived!" Naruto sang before he and his brothers started to harmonize. Images of Olympian statues and temples flashed by on the screen before a golden Omega plastered itself on a white background.

Lee and Will quieted their instruments and sang. "With every broken bone."

"I swear I lived." Naruto added as images of demigods lost in battles or quests came on the screen.

"With every broken bone."

"I swear I..." Naruto went quiet and the lights began to dim. The lights suddenly came back alive as the three sang the chorus again. "I, I did it all!"

The audience sang with them. Deep in the crowd, Thalia lightly bounced Bolt in time with the music while beside her Joan was fast asleep. Her lips moved slightly with the words and her eyes were locked on the lead singer.

"I, I did it all!" Naruto sang fondly. His eyes met Thalia's and his grin widened. "I owned every second that this world can give!"

Percy tightened his arm around Annabeth and the two shared a smile.

Jason wrapped his arms gently around Piper's belly bump.

Leo gave a gentle smile and looked at his engagement ring.

"Saw so many places, the things that I did!"

Kakashi set down his book and looked up at the screen. He adjusted the white armband with the golden omega on it subtly on his arm.

Nico looked at his sister and smiled at her while Bianca smiled back.

Mark tightened his grip on his son's shoulder and let a tear fall for his wife that couldn't be there.

Lee pointed out at the audience and they sang the next line. "With every broken bone, I swear I lived. With every broken bone-"

"I swear I lived!" Naruto ended the song on a strong soft note.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and sat up. He blearily reached over and slammed his hand onto the radio that doubled as his alarm clock. He looked over at the clock and groaned. Why in the world was he waking up at three am? Stupid radio. Naruto fell back into bed and aligned himself with Thalia's back, his arm wrapped over her slightly bumped stomach.

"Joan's a good name..." He mumbled as he drifted back off to the realm of Morpheus.

* * *

"Kids, this is Naruto. Naruto, meet the kids!" Apollo grinned as he stood behind the three children that had been presented to Naruto. The tallest boy barely reached Naruto's waist, while the younger boy and the girl were maybe half an inch shorter than the eldest. They each had fair skin, black hair and blue eyes that strongly resembled Apollo's. Oddly enough, they all had a mischievous glint in their eyes that Naruto knew he'd really enjoy.

"This is Yancy." Apollo continued as the tallest boy held his hand out. He wore khaki pants, white sneakers, a black shirt with a picture of Groucho on it and a green scarf around his neck.

"Hey, nice to meet you." Yancy greeted with a smile.

Naruto smiled back at him as he shook the boy's hand. "You, too."

"No, I'm fourteen. You should get your eyes checked." Yancy chuckled at his own joke while Naruto let out a light laugh. Yancy stepped back and the younger brother stepped forward with his hand out. He wore khaki shorts, white sneakers, a blue long sleeved shirt and a large red floppy cap backwards on his head.

"This is Warren," Apollo said as Naruto shook the boy's hand. Warren let out a large burp right in Naruto's face. Warren covered his mouth with his hand to hide his laughter, unlike his siblings who were losing it, while Naruto blinked away the tears that formed.

"'Scuse me," Warren said shyly.

"Yeah, sure..." Naruto mumbled. That was one hell of a burp. He grunted as he caught the last one in his arms. The girl, who wore a pink sundress, white heels and had a flower clip in her hair, wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hel-loooo, Uncle!" The girl then planted a large wet kiss on his cheek. She hugged her face to his and smiled at the god. "Is he really gonna keep us, Apollo?"

Apollo scratched his cheek sheepishly when Naruto gave him a dry look. "Er, well, he's gonna help you settle in, Dorothy."

"...Apollo, who are these kids, exactly?" Naruto asked flatly.

Dorothy jumped from his arms to land in front of Yancy. Yancy grinned and threw his arm around Warren.

"We're the Warner brothers!" Yancy and Warren chorused.

"And I'm the Warner sister!" Dorothy added with a curtsey.

"They're also your grand-nephews and grand-niece." Apollo added with a grin.

Naruto stared at him before he clapped a hand onto his face. "Lia-chan is going to kill me."

* * *

Naruto shot up from bed again and rubbed his face. "Okay, I'll get up, geez...stupid dream god..."

Apparently, all of Olympus wanted him to be awake for the Jonin evaluation today...that or Apollo and Hera pulled some strings.

* * *

**AN: Wow, first SHDG thing I've worked on in **_**months**_**. Seriously, this took me DAYS to write and it's not even entirely canon...yet, anyway. Expect a similar one-shot for Fils de l'Amour's Naruto to take the slot of Aphrodite!**

**But first, there's something important I need you all to do:**

**REVIEW!**


	8. Prince of Heaven

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_** or **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_**. I **_**do**_** own both the novel and the game **_**The Force Unleashed**_** (I &amp; II). Despite not being canon, TFU is a big favorite of mine and, well, let's say there's some obvious homages here. Enjoy.**

**AN: It would be wise during the fights to play "Duel of the Fates" by John Williams. Word of warning.**

**Prince of Heaven**

* * *

_Where...Where am I?_ Eyes as blue as the sky slowly opened to find a dark net and a good dozen feet or so between the owner of the eyes and the ground. Next to him were two draconian legs that made the ground shake with each step. A groan left his lips at the sudden swing the net that held him made.

A deep laugh made the eyes look up. A cruel grin spread across his captor's face. The serpent-like smile that formed within the gnarly green beard reached up to evil marble white eyes.

"Awake are we?" The deep voice of the giant asked. The net was lifted up to make him level with the giant. A set of nasty teeth exposed themselves to the captive. "Never thought I'd find a spy in my home. Won't Porphyrion be interested in knowing the Upper Air is intruding on an Olympian matter?"

The captive's teeth clenched tightly and an insult was swallowed, lest he make his captor angry. Giants were not to be trifled with, and Gigantes even more so. For now, the captive went quiet, glaring defiantly at the Bane of Poseidon.

Polybotes ignored the captive and lowered him back to his side as they entered a massive, and ugly, temple of rock and stone. He stalked forward, pushed his way past the shorter giants and shoved the lesser Gigantes away from his path.

"_Poseidon is a brute, my son, but he is cunning and crafty like his brothers. Be cautious, for Polybotes is not easily fooled like the giants you've previously faced. He is the Bane of Poseidon with good reason. A simple sneak attack will not catch him off guard._" The words of his father echoed in the captive's head. The youth sighed and ran his hand through his golden hair. He really should've headed those words.

"Porphyrion!" Polybotes' cry broke through the mutters and rowdy conversations between the giants and Gigantes. He lifted the captive in his net and grinned at the leader of the Gigantes. "Behold what I bring to you, evidence of treachery!"

The massive form of Porphyrion turned in his throne from his conversation with a hideous female Gigas to look at Polybotes. The King of Gigantes was massive with draconian legs the same pea green shade as his hair, which was groomed and laced with the weapons of fallen heroes. His eyes the same white as Polybotes', but his face, unlike his brother, was clean and freshly shaved.

"A mortal?" Porphyrion asked with distain. The captive rolled his eyes. Wow, what a reaction.

"Not just any mortal, brother." Polybotes smirked. "I give to you the turn in our war. A chip to use against the Upper Air, to make them bend to our whims."

"The Upper Air?" Porphyrion sat forward and cupped his chin as he examined the youth. His eyes widened and he looked at Polybotes. "A halfling from Aether?!"

"The very same," Polybotes said with a grin. He lifted the net and his eyes gleamed at the captive within. "It seems that a woman gained the attention of the Upper Air."

"Quite." Porphyrion rubbed his jaw in thought. He rose from his throne and snatched the net from his brother. The net was raised until the captive was eye level with Porphyrion's stony gaze. "What is your name, halfling?"

"My name translates loosely to Maelstrom in your tongue, Gigas scum." Maelstrom sneered at the giant, unable to hide his dislike of the Bane of Zeus. Porphyrion's mouth curled up into a cruel smile.

"Lively aren't you?" He asked. Maelstrom did not respond, and just glared at the king. Porphyrion let out a booming laugh and offered the net to the Gigas he was speaking with before. "Periboia, take this boy to our prison and set him beside my beloved."

"Yes, Father." The Gigas female said. Maelstrom tried to take his eyes off of her, but like most monstrosities, he couldn't help his stare. Her russet hair matted and grime coated skin did nothing for her already hideous looks, her bronze armor made her seem more masculine in appearance, and the brown draconic legs were almost chicken like.

Overall, Maelstrom determined that this would be one female he would _gladly_ ignore...if he could.

Periboia carried Maelstrom from the throne room through a hallway into a tower of stone. With little care for his sake or body, the Gigas tossed Maelstrom from the net into a room and quickly closed the door. Maelstrom hit the ground chin first, which was very painful.

"Insufferable sow..." Maelstrom mumbled as he rolled onto his back and rubbed his jaw. Thank the heavens he padded himself for that. If not, his jaw could've been shattered.

"She is irritating, isn't she?"

Maelstrom turned to look behind him and gaped at the otherworldly beauty his eyes were graced with. Long black hair trailed down like fine silk from her head, and a face he was most unworthy to look at stared back at him. It was her eyes, however, the warm beautiful brown eyes that looked at him with intrigue that made his cheeks turn red. The woman was dressed in a white gown with rich golden accents that identified her as a goddess.

Well, to be accurate she was _the_ goddess. The Queen of Olympus.

"Hera..." Maelstrom's eyes were wide. He quickly averted his gaze and ducked his head. "Forgive me, Lady Hera. I did not mean to-!"

"What, boy? Be thrown in here like trash? Be captured?" Hera tisked. "I doubt you had. Rise and introduce yourself to me, Mortal."

"I will stay kneeled before my Queen, if she so allows." Maelstrom returned, his head lifted only slightly. He focused his attention on the tip of her nose, lest he become dumbstruck in awe of her beauty once more. "I am known as Maelstrom in your language, Lady Hera."

Hera's brow quirked upward. "My language? You are not Greek?"

Maelstrom looked away in slight shame. "My mother resided in the Forbidden East, Lady Hera. I do not know her, but my father raised me as a Greek, even if I am not named as one."

"Tell me your name, Mortal. Your true name, not it's meaning." Hera ordered sternly.

The youth looked up at her with a slight hesitation before he spoke. "Naruto is my name."

Hera hummed and paced the jail tower. "_Nah-rue-toh_...An interesting name."

Naruto's cheeks burned. "A thousand thanks for your praise, Lady Hera, but I cannot claim them. My mother named me on her deathbed, and my Father saved me from servitude in the Forbidden East."

"Your father? He is the reason you are trapped here, I presume?" Hera asked. Her eyes were on him like a hawk's a field mouse. Naruto nodded slowly.

"Yes, Lady Hera," he said. He rose his head in pride. "I am son of the Upper Air, the son of Aether."

If Hera was taken aback by this information, she did not let it show. Instead, she merely watched him. "Are you? Aether has not descended from his golden kingdom above Olympus since the Titanomachy. I had not thought he would betray Hemera."

"...Hemera is a benevolent goddess," Naruto began slowly. Carefully. "Just and happy. She sees an expanded family where another would see a bastard. I _am_ a bastard, but I have family that supports me. I am her son not by blood, but by name."

Hera said nothing to this and went quiet. She then pointed to a small corner. "You will stay there, Naruto son of Aether. If you come within ten paces of me, I will destroy you on the spot. No man, giant or god may have me save my husband."

Naruto ducked his head in understanding and quickly made his way to the corner Hera had pointed out.

He stayed there for five days and nights, quiet as he could be. He didn't dare to move an inch, not even to get food deposited to him while Hera was awake. He would rather starve than deal with a goddess' wrath. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but the way she murmured to herself about lazy no-good husbands was amusing.

As Naruto huddled in his corner, he listened as the Gigantes would argue outside the cell and in the throne room. Many times Porphyrion would approach the cell and seek out Hera's company. Each time, the goddess proved her loyalty to Zeus with a cold dismissal or a violent threat. Porphyrion would entice and smugly claim that she would be his soon enough.

Despite what mortals would think, even Gods slept. It was not the same as a human's rest, where most senses were shut off to the bare minimum, but it was a form of sleep all the same. Hera slept for no more than an hour and no less than thirty minutes.

On the fifth day, when the moon was at its peak, Naruto could bear no more. He needed to eat, but knew that Hera would awake if he moved. So, he went back to an old trick his father taught him as a boy. Naruto held his hand out towards the fruit placed on a plate. He felt the life within the apple, the energy the was hidden within.

There was a small pressure in the center of his forehead as Naruto focused on the apple. A second later and the apple flew from the cracked and warped bronze platter to his hand. Naruto took a soft bite of the apple and savored the taste. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

"Do that again."

Naruto nearly choked on his next bite and tossed his apple into the air. He swallowed the bite and caught his apple after it had bounced off his head before his eyes went to the now awake Hera. Her gaze was intimidating and intense.

"W-what?"

"Do not play games with me, son of Aether." Hera huffed. She pointed at the bronze. "Pull it towards you, but do not move."

Naruto blinked and looked at the tray of bronze. He held his hand out to it and focused his gaze on the bronze. Unlike the apple, the bronze did not have life. It was not grown from the trees, so there wasn't a source of energy for him to pinpoint. Minutes passed and sweat formed on his brow, but he could not bring the bronze to his hand.

"I cannot." Naruto muttered finally, in defeat.

Hera narrowed her gaze at him. "Pull the bronze towards you, mortal."

"It is impossible! A feat only a god can do, will metal to a hand!" Naruto returned hotly.

"Pull the bronze!" Hera demanded.

Naruto tossed his apple aside and rose to his feet as best he could. "I told you, I cannot!"

"If you truly believe that, then you are of no use to anyone." Hera's voice was cold and her gaze narrowed. The warm brown pools that were her eyes turned violent and angry. Naruto trembled under the pressure she expelled from her form. The power that wished to be released.

_I...I don't want to die._ The realization was fast, as it was for most men. Naruto felt more pressure on his forehead, but it wasn't painful. It was sudden, but his hand pointed at the bronze plate. The metal shuffled for a moment before it flew to his hand.

"There!" Naruto held the plate out defiantly to the goddess. "I pulled it to me! I..."

Hera smirked as the words clicked in Naruto's head. The pressure she expelled dwindled away to nothing and she approached the halfling. The bronze plate flew from his hand to hers.

"You, Naruto son of Aether, have a great gift. Not many can manipulate the energy of matter outside of immortals." Hera stood directly in front of the awestruck blond. She set the plate down and placed her hand on the youth's head. "Now, we can begin."

"Begin what?" Naruto asked.

"To plan our escape."

* * *

Hera had formulated a plan for escape as soon as Naruto revealed his heritage, and disclosed this information to Naruto the night after his breakthrough. As a goddess, she is power infinite, unable to be defeated, but while Giants could be felled easily _Gigantes_ needed to be defeated by something more than a god. She felt that Naruto would be able to assist, if not in the death of a Gigas, then with the escape from this temple.

Days turned to weeks for the captured goddess and halfling. Naruto nurtured his abilities under Hera's watch. They practiced at night, when the Gigantes and Giants slept, a form of catch. Hera was fair and stern in her lessons, able to see when he needed to rest. Naruto took to her lessons like a fish to water. He was soon able to 'throw' or 'push' the energy in the air hard enough to make Hera stumble. (The first time he had been told of the exercise, Naruto had thought the goddess of heaven was kidding.)

It was in the second week of his imprisonment that Periboia came for him. He left without much struggle. That was his first mistake. He was taken to a chamber where Polybotes took deep pleasure in carving portions of his face off with his bastard trident.

Let it be known that tridents were not made to be precision weapons.

Naruto only survived his torture sessions thanks to Hera, who healed him in the night before they practiced. After two weeks, Naruto had gained his first permanent scars at the age of fourteen. Three jagged lines now graced either cheek and marked him like an animal, a pet of the Gigantes.

It fueled his desire to escape, and in a few days time, he would be given the chance to.

* * *

_A month I have been captured by the Gigantes and trained by Hera. I wonder why Zeus or father yet to act..._ Naruto thought to himself as he laid in his corner while Hera slept. He was still a mortal man and Hera was still Hera, so the placement was understandable. He sat up slightly as the door to their jail tower opened.

A giant, no larger than twenty feet, snuck in and shut the door behind him. He was an ugly beast, man-like in appearance and scarred heavily. His dark eyes gleamed with lust and desire and were glued to the goddess' form. The giant ambled towards Hera and fumbled with his tunic.

"Finally, alone...With Porphyrion away at the battlefield..." The giant rumbled to himself. Naruto realized the beast's intent as its hand reached for the Queen of Heaven's body.

Knowing that it could be his last act, Naruto pulled the bronze plate towards him and whistled sharply. The giant whipped around, wide eyed and at full attention. Naruto glared at the nude beast and tightened his grip on the bronze plate.

"Back away from her."

The giant sneered at him. "Do you know who I am, _boy_? I am Eurymedon! King of the Giants! You dare interfere where you are not welcomed?!"

_Not like I had the choice._ Naruto mused darkly. He tightened his grip on the bronze plate and narrowed his gaze on the giant. "Porphyrion is king of the Giants."

Eurymedon laughed. "King of Gigantes, that one. I am King of the Giants! His forces are my own and I was promised a night with Hera, her body to use for my assistance."

"I will not allow it." Naruto scowled.

"You? And who are you to stop me, _boy_?" Eurymedon asked with a sneer. He dodged the bronze plate thrown at his head easily, but failed to dodge it on its return. The metal cut through his skin and made him bellow in pain.

"I'm the son of Aether." Naruto answered. He pulled more metal plates to him and had them float over his hands. His eyes narrowed and a bead of sweat went down the side of his head as the plates began to spin over his palms. Before the Giant could react, the two plates were thrown and sliced through the giant's shoulders.

One of the arms that were the size of grown trees fell to the ground and Eurymedon roared in agony. The Giant retreated, humiliated and defeated, but not before a final plate imbedded itself in his back.

Naruto slumped to his knees in exhaustion, his hair matted from sweat and his breath hard to retain.

"Well done." Hera's voice made the demigod look to her. The sleeping Hera that rested on her bed vanished and the real Hera stepped from the side with a look of gratitude on her face. "Eurymedon has made his desire known from time to time while you rested. I did not think he would be brash enough to act when Porphyrion was gone."

"This...was another test?" Naruto asked, incredulous at the thought.

Hera nodded. "One you passed magnificently. We will act tomorrow, Naruto son of Aether. Rest and prepare yourself."

Naruto nodded blearily before he slid down against the wall and let his eyes drift shut.

* * *

"The escape was flawless." Hera smiled slightly at the praise from her fleet-footed nephew. "...If one does not count the gaping hole that now resides in the side of a mountain."

Hera had been in contact with one god during her imprisonment, and that was Hermes. The swift messenger had awaited outside of the jail tower with Hera's chariot. The Queen of Olympus and Naruto utilized all of Naruto's energy with the 'Push' on their jail's exterior wall. Hermes caught Naruto as he fell and Hera stepped nonchalantly onto her chariot. The two retreated to Mt. Olympus posthaste and reported to the King, who was glad to see his wife, but curious about the tagalong.

"He is impressively strong," Hermes continued as he looked down at the unconscious youth. His gaze went to the Queen of Olympus. "But he is not one of ours."

"No, Hermes, he is not." The Olympians' gazes turned to the bright star that appeared in the center of the council room. It hovered over the boy, bright enough that it hid him from view. The bright light died down to reveal a being, godly in build, of pure light.

"Aether..." Zeus rumbled lowly. The gaze of the king narrowed in distain, an action not missed by Hera.

The ruler of the Upper Air looked back at the King with similar emotions in his golden eyes. Aether looked down at his son and then brought his gaze up to meet Hera's. He inclined his head slightly, and she returned the gesture.

"While I am grateful that you watched over my son, Hera, he was not to be brought into Olympian matters." Aether frowned heavily and said the word 'Olympian' as if it were a curse.

Zeus snorted. "Of course not, that was why he was with the Giants."

"Zeus..." Hera's sharp gaze pinned him to his throne. She was mad at him for leaving her _a month_ trapped by the Giants. Her eyes went back to the embodiment of light and energy. "Aether, your son has done me a great justice. Surely you can let me repay the favor."

Aether scoffed. "The prizes of Olympus come with great cost. You wish to reward my son for surviving? No, Hera, there is more to your 'reward'."

Hera frowned. Aether was not like Apollo, who was foolhardy and acted young. Aether had been around for just as long – if not longer – than her accursed father. He was keen on the ways of Olympus, even if he did not operate with them. He was not under their rule, nor did he rise above it. Aether was truly his own immortal and that meant he was not easily manipulated.

"Yes." Hera admitted. The embodiment of Light and Energy remained quiet as she continued. "I desire your son to help us in the war."

"You dare ask me for help in your matters?" Aether fumed. The Olympians tensed as the primordial glared at their Queen, Zeus's hand tight on his Master Bolt. For a moment, the air was still, before Aether relaxed and the tension retreated to the background. "What do I gain from this?"

"What do you gain-?!" Zeus rumbled.

"Father Zeus, now is not the time." Athena's voice quelled the fury that grew in the god's body. Her gaze went to Hera, calculative and concerned. Hera did not doubt that the daughter of Metis knew where she was going with this and the gamble that was being made.

"Our gratitude and our assistance," Hera said. "A favor for a favor."

Aether pursed his lips and hummed. His gaze went to the lord of the oceans. "I need smiths. A weapon must be made in my kingdom for my son."

"Briares and his ilk have been getting bored," Poseidon said lowly. He looked uncomfortable while he bartered the Hundred Handed Ones.

Aether nodded. "Yes, they are fine craftsmen...but I will also need a temple. A way to ensure my memory."

"We will assign a scribe to you," Hestia said kindly. "And the hearth will pass stories of you and your family."

Aether looked at her for a moment before he looked back at Hera. He pointed at her. "I want your word...If my son is harmed in _any_ way during this war..."

The threat was left to hang, and it was strong. Aether need not do more than pull his Upper Air from Olympus to get even Zeus on his knees. Hera quickly nodded. "I swear on the Styx that no harm shall befall your son, Aether."

The sky boomed and Aether nodded.

The deal was done and history changed.

* * *

"This is the third demigod the Olympians brought to fight with us?" The tall brown haired behemoth that was Heracles smirked down at Naruto. His eyes were a similar blue as Naruto's, and the cocky smirk that was plastered on his face was aggravating. Naruto just knew he'd want to punch the son of Zeus' face in by the time this was all said and done. Granted that would be impossible, considering the man's strength, but it would be welcomed all the same. "A bastard barbarian from the East?"

"The same could be said of you, only you're from the West." A joyful Dionysus pointed out with a smirk. He was a slightly hefty man with a thick purplish beard on his face that was as untamed as his father's. Rested at his side was his trusty thyrsus, the pinecone tipped weapon gleamed under the sunlight. In his hand was a fresh bottle of wine.

_That one,_ Naruto thought as Heracles scowled at his half-brother. _Is far more powerful than he lets on._

"So, who is your father? Oh, wait, let me guess!" Dionysus' smirk widened. "Zeus? No, wait, Apollo."

"Neither." Naruto muttered. He crossed his arms and sat against the large stone they were told to gather at. "I am the son of-"

"His parentage is not important." The baritone voice of the King boomed after a bolt of lightning came down across from the three. Zeus ignored Naruto as he greeted his sons with a small favorable smile. His smile vanished as he continued. "Ares is still missing and Artemis has yet to return from her latest hunt. Dionysus, you are to find and rescue Ares."

Dionysus groaned. "Must I?"

"Yes." Zeus frowned at the demigod. His gaze went to Heracles. "Heracles, my son, you and I take the fight to Porphyrion! We will end his reign today!"

Heracles grinned. "You have my strength and bow, Father."

Naruto and Dionysus rolled their eyes.

Zeus' gaze then landed on Naruto and his eyes hardened. "...Champion of Hera, you are to assist the other Olympians in holding off Porphyrion's forces as we do battle."

"...On second thought, I'm more than happy to go rescue Ares," Dionysus said with a smirk as he looked at the newcomer. "Have fun, my young friend."

"Thanks." Naruto drawled. _Are all of Zeus' kids jackasses or is just his sons?_

* * *

Naruto pushed another wave of Earthborn giants away from him, his brow dripping with sweat as he did. To his left, Athena did battle with her bane and beyond her, Poseidon and Polybotes grappled around in the ocean. On his right, Hephaestus fought off his bane while Hermes brought his sword against regular giants, a grin on his face as he did. What Naruto wouldn't give for the endurance of a god right now.

He was tired and caked in sweat, his armor no more than shreds of metal. Thankfully, there was some sort of protection granted to him by Hera, or his body would be littered with cuts and bruises from the Earthborn's weapons and thrown rocks. Another Earthborn charged from the right and Naruto thrust his hand right in its face.

"Die!" He yelled as the head was forcibly removed from the body. _This would be so much easier if I had a weapon of some kind!_

"_MORTAL!_"

Naruto looked for the origin of the cry and groaned as he caught sight of a familiar King. Eurymedon looked bloodthirsty, and frankly, Naruto could understand why. Hera was not in any shape or form ugly, but she was claimed and did not reciprocate the desire. To force oneself on a woman was not the way his father brought him up.

_I don't have the energy for this._ Naruto groaned as he backed away from the approaching giant. Naruto ducked under a sword swing and sent a hard push at the King of Giant's stomach.

Eurymedon stumbled back and glared at him for the strike. He lifted his massive onyx sword and pointed the tip at the blond. "Today, you die, mortal."

_Probably_. Naruto silently agreed. He hardened his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. "Not from you, bastard."

Eurymedon yelled as he swung his weapon down on him. Naruto brought his arms over his face and focused on the sword. He pushed against Eurymedon's strength, the blade visibly strained in midair. Naruto fell to a knee, his teeth tightly grit together as he tried to keep himself from being bisected.

"Hey Eurydice!" The giant turned and barely dodged a shot from Apollo's bow. The sun god gave a smug grin to him and returned his attention to the army of endless Earthborn. Eurymedon snarled at the god's chariot and made note to join whoever Porphyrion sent after the twins. He turned back to his current quarry only to get a massive push from the boy that sent him back a good few meters or so.

_Uh-oh...that's not good..._ Naruto thought as he fell to his face and gasped down gulps of air. _Really...a sword too much to ask for?_

"Hekatonkheires!" A giant yelled as three massive beings fell from the sky. The Earthborn and a few giants were crushed beneath their feet. Naruto stared up in awe at the massive beings. Their fifty heads all seemed to be looking around for something.

"There!" One said with fifty voices. He turned towards him and a hand reached out to him, clenched in a fist. "You are Aether's son...This is for you."

The fist opened and Naruto looked at the sword handle that lacked a guard and, more importantly, a blade. Naruto looked at the Hundred Handed One with surprise before he returned his attention to the handle. Hesitantly and tiredly, Naruto grabbed hold of the sword handle that was easily as long as his forearm.

The moment he did, energy filled him. Naruto shook as his stamina refilled eight times over. He looked down at the silver handle, graced with gold of immortals, and gripped it in both hands. There was a brimming energy within the sword, demanding to be used.

Naruto focused on the energy and pulled it out. A blade of pure blue light emerged from the handle. Naruto looked from the blade to the Hekatonkheires that gave it to him. The faces grinned.

"You are welcome, son of Aether." He said. He turned to the battle and charged against the Earthborn that tried to near their master and Athena.

Naruto blinked and looked back at his new sword.

"...Who am I to complain? Thank you, Father." Naruto nodded to the sky and turned back to Eurymedon. The giant king had regained his courage now that the Hundred Handed Ones had turned their attention elsewhere.

Naruto charged at the giant with a war cry and used his innate gifts to fling himself across the distance that was between them in a mighty leap. Naruto brought his new sword of light down on Eurymedon's onyx blade and the metal was cut with ease. Eurymedon stared in shock at the remains of his sword while Naruto continued his assault. A slash and Eurymedon had lost his remaining arm. A swipe and both legs were gone.

The giant's eyes bored into Naruto's as the golden haired halfling stabbed his sword through the center of the King Giant's broad chest.

Naruto watched the body fall and collapse into the earth. He turned his attention to Poseidon and Polybotes, the nearest of the battles, and ran towards it. As he did, he missed the chariot of Ares fly overhead towards the battle of Hephaestus and his bane, Mimas.

* * *

"To Olympus!" Heracles' cheer made the other warriors gathered cheer. The celebration at the base of Mt. Olympus was well underway. The gods were victorious and the Gigantes' war had ended after several years of battle. Once Porphyrion had been felled, the other Gigantes retreated and separated, as they realized their weakness against both a god and a demigod.

Naruto, now an young adult around the age of seventeen, raised his cup in victory with a smile on his face. He had been officially claimed as Hera's champion the year before and his legend was just beginning to spread. Others had joined the three demigods, to an annoyed Dionysus' dismay for some reason (possibly due to Heracles' oafishness).

A son of Athena who went by the name Icarus stepped forward and offered his help. His arrow along with Athena's spear put an end to Enceladus' Earthborn, which led to more mortals coming forward.

Hermes and an unfortunate hero who lost his life playing the part of distraction had felled Hippolytus with the aid of Hades of all beings.

Aphrodite assisted Naruto in destroying the abomination that was Periboia. It wasn't terribly difficult, but Aphrodite had kept offering services to Naruto afterwards that were welcome, but made him uneasy. Especially when the looming threat of Ares' wrath was brought up after the god demanded to see his weapon. Naruto had shown Ares his sword, named Asteria (brightest star), but it refused to be properly wielded by the god. A look from Hephaestus and the smith god pointed out that it was honed to only work for one of Aether's. Ares did not take kindly to finding a weapon he could not use.

Aside from being enticed by Aphrodite and threatened by Ares, Naruto's other battles were minor skirmishes that were used to deflect the Gigantes and giants' attentions from the main target. He assisted Apollo in finding Artemis and then tried to help the 'good' giant Orion against the Scorpio. It didn't go well. At least the guy got a constellation for himself.

As Naruto drank his wine he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. He shook the feeling off and drank more wine to Olympus' victory. Tonight was a night of cheer!

* * *

"..._Naruto_..." The voice was faint, but familiar. It was troubled. Naruto tried to look around. His eyes were stuck focused on a wall. His gaze would not turn, his body would not obey him.

"_Naruto, do not panic._" The voice said to him, calm but anxious all the same. "_You're...dying, Naruto._"

Needless to say, Naruto started to mentally panic. Dying. Death. Judgment. Afterlife. He didn't want to deal with that. Not yet. Hell, he hadn't even gotten to lay with a woman yet! He wanted to have a family, leave an heir behind, and leave his mark on the world! How could this have happened? When? Why?

"_Naruto, you must remain calm!_" The voice was firm and warm. Naruto clung to its words like a lifeline. "_I swore to your father that I would protect you. I cannot let him know that you've been harmed until I know how to fix what is wrong. For the time being, I've turned you to stone and placed you in my temple. I will not forget you, Naruto. I will fix this. I swear on the Styx._"

And that is the story of how Naruto, the son of Aether and champion of Hera, was lost to history, forgotten by all but one.

* * *

Decades, centuries and even millennia passed as Naruto remained stone. Every now and then he would be visited by the voice. Far and in between were moments where he swore someone moved him. Mostly Naruto was suspended in time and he would do what most others could in his situation: He dreamed.

He dreamt of a giant wooden horse going through a large gate. Then of a massive purple eagle that spread across the map of the known world. A vision of the map as it grew and turned into a sphere, followed by the vision of a small boat that travelled around the sphere as it grew larger. There were dreams of strange weapons that shot fire and smoke when used appropriately. There was a man with a weird hat crossing an icy river with a strange flag that had thirteen stripes and stars on it. After that came a dream of two men, one dressed in blue and the other in grey, that shot at each other, which was followed by a man dressed in a black suit with a tall hat entering a building with a woman on his arm. His dreams showed him a giant mushroom cloud formed after something had dropped from a high height.

Naruto's visions, he came to understand, were a sort of history lesson. He would wake momentarily in his suspended state and realize he knew what had happened around him. The dreams, visions, history lessons then turned to specific people.

First was a freckled girl with black hair and electric blue eyes that fought off a cyclops with a spear. Next came a blond boy with the same eyes as he moved in a formation with larger boys and girls all clad in a purple shirt with golden weapons. Third was a small boy that had dark hair and bright green eyes as he strangled a snake. After that was a taller boy with sandy blond hair that ran from a woman. A blonde girl no older than seven followed – Naruto was impressed by the amount of blondes, previously something he thought to be a rare hair color – and she attacked the last boy with a hammer. The young blond from before returned as he rescued a spotted cat.

The dreams went back to a boy with dark hair and green eyes. He watched the boy as he fought Ares, the god unmistakable even with his strange new attire. The boy then ran from a cyclops. A massive being, Atlas Naruto vaguely recalled the Titan in his lessons with his father, knocked the boy around. Then a familiar blonde girl led the black haired boy, a satyr and a young cyclops through a strange maze – the Labyrinth.

The dreams stopped after that, but then Naruto felt something pierce his arm.

"_Rest, Naruto. You will return to the world soon._"

Naruto dove into a dreamless sleep after the words echoed in his head.

* * *

"He's waking up! Quick, go get Chiron!"

That was probably the most irritable thing to do to someone who was just waking up after a millennia long nap, Naruto mused as he slowly came back to consciousness. A hand pressed down on his shoulder and Naruto grabbed it with his own. His eyes met the owner's warm brown. The brown eyes belonged to a simple beauty of a maiden that had long black hair. He could see his reflection in her eyes, and he looked rather annoyed.

"Stop. Yelling." Naruto grunted out. _Huh, was my voice always that deep?_

"We're not yelling," a voice to his left said. Naruto turned to see a maiden with honey blonde hair and calculating grey eyes.

Naruto squinted at her, for she seemed familiar. "Lady Athena?"

The other maiden snickered while the Athena lookalike shook her head. "I'm Annabeth. Athena is my mother."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "I see. I am known as Naruto, son of Aether. Champion of Hera."

The two maidens stared at him before Annabeth sighed. "Well, I guess that answers why you were in Cabin Two."

Naruto frowned. "Cabin Two?"

"Hera's Cabin," the other maiden said. Naruto's attention went back to her as she continued. "There was a missive from Hera to retrieve something within her cabin and...Well, Chiron certainly wasn't expecting you."

"Chiron!? The Trainer?" Naruto asked. He looked to the daughter of Athena. "He's here?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. He'll explain when he gets here, but first." Annabeth's eyes grew stony as she stared at him. "How did you become a statue? Did you face Medusa?"

Naruto snorted at her question. "The Gorgon? Perseus slayed her centuries ago, has he not? It's impossible to kill what's already dead."

Annabeth frowned. "Monsters have been coming back from Tartarus to torment demigods since after Greece fell. But if Medusa didn't turn you to stone, what did?"

"That, Annabeth, is a question I don't have an answer to." Naruto shrugged. He turned and rose from the cot he previously lay on. Naruto rolled his stiff joints and gave the other maiden a smile. "I don't think we have been introduced. I am Naruto."

The girl flushed lightly and smiled back. "Katie Gardener. I'm the counselor of Cabin Four."

"Demeter's Cabin." Annabeth supplied.

Naruto gave Katie a grin. "I can see the resemblance."

Katie's cheeks darkened.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You can flirt later, you need to speak with Chiron."

"What is this 'flirt'?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. "Is it a fruit?"

"No, it's...the casual talk that comes before courting," Annabeth said, a mild look of amusement on her face as Katie's face turned a bright red.

"I wasn't courting anyone. Perhaps after I get something to eat," Naruto said as he rubbed his stomach, which chose that moment to growl loudly. Naruto chuckled and patted his stomach with a smile on his face. "Millennia of sleep makes one hungry, it seems!"

"If you're going to leave the tent, you need to change out of your...cloths...and probably shower," Annabeth said under her breath.

Naruto looked down at his chiton and sandals before he looked back up at Annabeth with a frown on his face. "What is wrong with my chiton? Both it and my perizoma were sewn by the finest of seamstresses in Olympia!"

Katie cleared her throat. "It's not, um, the latest fashion anymore. It went out of style forever ago," she said with a small smile on her face. "We could get you a camp shirt and a pair of jeans, and you could keep your sandals if you want."

Naruto's shoulders fell a margin. "I suppose...but what are 'jeans'?"

* * *

"These are the most uncomfortable fabrics I've ever worn," Naruto said a moment after he finished changing into the jeans. Next to him, Mitchell, a son of Aphrodite, rolled his eyes. Naruto caught it and frowned at the one that helped him change into the strange attire. "What? They are! Stiff and limiting. I doubt one could run very well with these."

"They're made of more durable fabric, and they break in quick. We could look around the camp store for some running pants, they might be looser for you. I told you to put the underwear on instead of that... thong." Mitchell shuddered. "How can you stand that thing?"

"...I stand very well, thank you." Naruto replied while he furrowed his brows. "What is a thong?"

"Mitchell, stop goofing around in there!" Annabeth's annoyed voice called from outside of the changing room.

"It's not my fault he's a fashion disaster!" Mitchell returned with a scowl on his face. He huffed and turned back to Naruto. "Word of advice, Annabeth's the smartest in camp, but sometimes she's not the kindest. She can be very bossy. I just hope Percy Jackson can handle that as a girlfriend. Whole camp knows they're going to end up together for as many quests they've been on. My money is it happens after summer."

Naruto arched a brow. "Girlfriend? Is that different than a friend who is a woman?"

"...Wow, man Ancient Greece must've been boring. Didn't you have a word for a, um...romantic interest before you married her?" Mitchel asked as he held a shirt up to Naruto's chest. He frowned. "A medium is going to be tight. My sisters would like that, but..."

"If I can function in combat with it, it won't be a problem. If it is, I'll rid myself of the nuisance," Naruto said dryly. He thought about what Mitchel said and beamed. "Ah, you speak of a Hetaira!"

"What are you talking about in there Mitchell!?" Annabeth yelled at the son of Aphrodite.

"Guy stuff! Gods know that he needs the help!" Mitchell returned with a frown. He offered the shirt to Naruto and then grabbed a larger shirt for himself. "Watch and copy, this is how you put it on."

After mistaking the arm and head holes a few times, Naruto managed to get the camp shirt on. He ran his hand over the fabric that clung to his chest and hummed. "A pegasus, hm? Noble, airborne and just. Met one once when I was a boy. This cloth is far more comfortable than the jeans."

"That's cotton," Mitchell said. He stepped back and gave the ancient demigod a once over. He nodded. "Yep. You're going to be the new camp heartthrob. You've got that heroic build, a strong chin, and a bit of a feral vibe to you from your whiskers."

Naruto grimaced and rubbed the scars on his cheek. "They aren't whiskers. Curse my father's flawless appearance. If I could grow a beard I would..."

"Next word of advice, most of the girls here don't care about the size of your facial hair. It's not as much of a status thing anymore," Mitchell said. He looked at the blond's discarded tunic and grabbed the golden and silver sword handle that lay atop the clothes. "We should get this repaired and a holster for it."

"Repaired? Asteria isn't broken, she merely rests." Naruto smiled as he held his hand out and brought the handle to his grip with a small glance.

Mitchell's eyes were wide. "No freaking way..." He turned to Naruto and asked softly. "Dude...are you a Jedi?"

"...A what?" Naruto blinked, his frown back on his face.

"Please tell me an energy sword comes out of that thing!" Mitchell said. Naruto merely held the handle in reverse and pulled the starlight from within out. A bright blue beam rose into a straight blade and Mitchell gaped at it. "...You are so much cooler than Percy Jackson."

"...I do not know who that is," Naruto said. He put a hand on his forehead. "And I do not seem to have chills, so I doubt I am cooler."

"Wow, a good looking Jedi and a comedian? The girls here are going to eat you alive!"

Naruto's eyes widened and he held his sword in a defensive reverse grip as he looked around fearfully. "There's cannibalism here?!"

Mitchell brought his hands up in surrender. "Dude, relax, it's a figure of speech. It just means that the girls will _really_ like you." His eyes went to the glowing blade that was held by the older demigod. "Er, please don't slice off my arm."

Naruto blinked and relaxed his stance. "Oh..." He frowned. "Your language is strange...why didn't the world just stick with Greek?"

"Ancient Greek."

"...Thank you for the reminder." Naruto glowered and deactivated Asteria. He kept his grip on her and fumbled with the door before he stepped out. Mitchell came out behind him and patted the older boy on the shoulder.

"The world evolves man, even the gods have to follow that rule." The son of love shrugged and pulled off the oversized camp shirt. "Don't worry about it, you seem like a smart guy. We'll have you caught up to speed in no time."

The ancient demigod gave the modern one a small smile of gratitude before he looked at the expectant Annabeth and Katie. He smiled at the two maidens and presented himself. "Well? Does it suit your standards?"

"...Yeah it does..." Katie mumbled. She grunted when Annabeth elbowed her in the side.

"Reel it in, Gardener." Annabeth warned. She nodded at Naruto. "You look good, I guess."

Mitchell smirked at her and crossed his arms. "He isn't Percy Jackson though."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Annabeth said.

Mitchell rolled his eyes. "Right. Later Naruto. Look me up if you want to continue our 'modern' lessons."

"Thank you, Mitchell." Naruto nodded. He grinned at his two female guides roguishly. "Then let us meet the Trainer! I'm sure there's much for him to enlighten me with."

"I'll catch up with you later, I have to run the camp shop." Katie sighed sadly.

Naruto gave her a small smile of approval before he looked at Annabeth. "Shall we?"

"Sure, follow me."

* * *

"How did this happen while you were escorting him through camp?" The centaur trainer asked one distressed Annabeth Chase.

"I don't know, but I turned to talk to Malcolm for a second about the west perimeter defenses and when I looked back he was gone!" Annabeth frowned at the annoyed ancient demigod. "Next thing I knew, these four were on the ground holding their arms in agony."

"They attacked me." Naruto huffed as he crossed his arms and glared at the four children of Ares that had latched onto him while he waited for Annabeth. The four glared right back and favored their now split covered arms. He looked away and frowned. "I would have thought the demigods of today would be ...stronger."

"I'll kill him!" Three of the four had to jump on the last before he could leap at Naruto. They were already in enough trouble as it was with Chiron and their godly father, they really didn't want to piss Hera off.

"Settle down, Mark," Chiron said to the upset demigod and turned to Naruto. "Times have changed, Naruto. There's more heroes than there used to be."

Naruto gave him a dry stare. "Yes, I can see that. Although 'heroes' is not the word I would use."

"Hey!" Annabeth frowned at him.

Naruto looked back at her and shrugged. "Apollo's wisdom says to use the truth when one sees it, and punishment will be avoided."

"...I've forgotten he used to be like that," Chiron said softly.

"Has the sun lord changed?" Naruto asked. _Hope not. Apollo was one of the few sons of Zeus that were kind to me during the Gigantomachy._

"...Not that much. He's less philosophic than he used to be. Philosophy isn't as...alluring as it was back home," Chiron said with a bit of a frown. "Shame, too. Kids today are more interested in hazing newcomers than listening to my philosophy."

The Ares kids winced while Naruto ignored them and frowned. "What is 'hazing'?"

"It's an initiation, a cruel rite of passage that senior members of a group perform on newcomers." Annabeth rattled off intellectually. "Nowadays it's been frowned upon for some horrors and psychological scarring that comes from some hazes."

"...This sounds unbelievably childish." Naruto deadpanned. "I thought this was a camp for demigods, not children."

Annabeth frowned at him. "We are still children."

"Children suckled on their mothers teats and stayed home to help with chores. Once one could go work in the fields or do battle, they were no longer children." Naruto drawled sternly. He smiled as he thought back to his childhood, or rather, the end of it. "It was in my tenth year that my father told me I was no longer a child and sent me down to study with a farmhand. Poor Thales, I wonder what happened to him."

"Good things," Chiron said with a secretive smile. He looked to Annabeth and gave her an apologetic smile. "You must understand, Annabeth, that the children of Ancient Greece had a shorter 'childhood' than you do today." He looked to Naruto. "And while this is difficult for you, Naruto, you must adapt to the times or you will be made into an outcast by your peers."

Naruto grimaced. "You could say I have prior experience."

"Pardon?" Chiron asked.

"Nothing, Chiron." Naruto rubbed his neck. "Tell me, are there any monsters I could assist in dealing with? There's a crick in my neck and I really must do something about it."

"...How would fighting a monster help?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron however stroked his chin. "I...suppose there is something you take care of."

* * *

The woods were filled with monsters, the trainer of old had told Naruto. Since the war with the recently returned Kronos – something that Naruto still had a hard time coming to terms with – the woods were no longer a safe haven for the demigods to perform 'games' in. The mere thought made Naruto scowl. In a new time he may be, but demigods were warriors, soldiers of Olympus and the Gods! Not children playing games...

A branch snapped beneath Naruto's foot as he paused at the sound of a larger, more threatening crash of a tree being toppled. That wasn't too far from where he was, and eager to stretch his limbs, Naruto turned towards the source of the sound. He bounded through the woods, swift as Hermes and as cautious as Helios, before he stumbled across what he deemed his target.

A dragon. It was the same brown as the earth beneath his sandals, with a length Naruto estimated to be equal to at least five or six horses, weighing twice as many as it was long. The scales looked like armor, it would be hard to pierce with even celestial bronze. Those wings had attached claws at the tips, and by the smoke in its nostrils, there was a fire in its belly. The teeth and claws were a threat only to a novice.

Naruto smirked and with a thought, brought Asteria around his body slowly from where it was holstered on his hip to his right hand. He flipped the handle to grip it as he preferred, in reverse, and willed the blade to life.

"I need a new satchel," Naruto said to himself as he rushed at the giant reptile. The dragon notice him and roared, its breath foul and deadly in its own right. Naruto held his left hand out, the palm outstretched towards the dragon, and sent a hard push at the beast's head.

The dragon was forced back several meters, but it did not fall. The folded wings acted as anchors to keep it upright and a stream of fire left its mouth. Naruto cut through the flames with Asteria and continued his assault. At the last moment he jumped up and cleared the dragon's reach with it's jaws. He targeted the back, between the wings, and drove the tip of his emissive sword into the creature.

The dragon roared in agony and reared back onto its hind legs. Naruto kept his balance with a strong pull through his feet to cling to the monster's back. He removed Asteria from the dragon's spine and swung it at the right wing. The heat of his blade seared the wing off and the dragon let out another bellow of pain.

"Foul beast!" Naruto claimed with a grin as he did off with the other wing and then jumped from the drake's back. He landed a good distance away and held Asteria behind him, his left hand brought up and held out towards the furious monster. "Come hither!"

The dragon roared defiantly at him, but Naruto's grin only widened. He braced himself as the dragon charged him this time. Fire tickled at its mouth and the soulless eyes that lie in the sockets glared with an intense hate, one that soared beyond the innate dislike of half-breeds the monster was created with. Naruto waited until the fire left the dragon's mouth before he moved.

Naruto rolled under the flame to his right and sliced off the dragon's left front leg. As the beast toppled to the side, Naruto jumped and brought Asteria up to remove the hind right leg. All mobility was stopped. All that the dragon could do now was breathe fire or bite him.

Foolishly, it tried to do the latter.

Naruto merely held his left hand up and pushed the head back. Then he reared around, twisted his body, and threw Asteria at the dragon. The Aether crafted sword flew through the air like a discus. It passed through one half of the dragon's neck, and with proper manipulation on Naruto's part, went through the rest on the return.

Naruto caught Asteria effortlessly by the grip of the handle thanks to years of practice and watched in awe as the dragon's corpse did not lie permanently before him, but dissolve into golden dust that smelt of sulfur. Naruto let out an interested noise as a dark brown robe rested where the dragon's body once lay.

"So many things have changed." Naruto mumbled to himself as he walked forward to retrieve his reward. He lifted the robe in his hand and hummed. "This looks like Hestia's robe...only more masculine."

With a shrug, Naruto pulled the brown cloak over his arms and holstered Asteria. He walked back to the camp of demigods with a calm and relaxed smile on his face. That was certainly the most entertaining thing he'd done since he had returned from his slumber.

He could hardly await his next challenge.

* * *

**AN: Wow, this one was a LOT of fun to write...It might take precedence over any other story that may emerge from this collection.  
**

**REVIEW!**


	9. Fearless: Some Knights

**AN: If this were to continue, this would be comprised of four chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Fearless: Some Knights**

* * *

Darkness.

From darkness, came fear. From nothing, came life. These are facts told in every religion, in every origin story that is offered in cultures. Oh, there may have been one singularity or entity that started it all, but where did they come from? They just _were_.

Humanity doesn't know how to rationalize origins, try as they might. Life was somewhat simpler when they just accepted the gods' existence. There was bad stormy day? Zeus was obviously pissed. A ship sank? Poseidon was offended. Someone was killed in war? Ares was at play.

Now, with the advancements of 'science' and 'technology'? The ugly truth has arisen; humans are cruel animals. No more, no less. Complex animals, mind you, but animals all the same. Like all other animals, they felt fear, but unlike real animals, humans felt that fear was a weakness, a flaw, something to be eradicated. Likely passed down from Ares' hold over the New World.

Most Demigods knew otherwise.

Fear was an ally. A drug that could give a Demigod a boost when it was needed to win a fight or flee from a powerful force. Fear bred life, thus fear was _good_.

Fear thrives in the shadows, in the unknown.

It is there that Naruto feels most powerful.

The mortal son of Artemis, sole nephew to Apollo, perched high on a tree above the small camp of his three half-blooded friends, somewhere in the woods of West Virginia. He was in a trace brought on by meditation, a lesser form of sleep, one that kept him fully aware of his surroundings. He learned this on a field trip with his uncle, a trip _west_ into the high mountains of the _east_.

The trip was one of the last real interactions he had with Apollo prior to leaving the Hunt. Apollo showed him the light of humanity, a spiritual journey more than it was physical. Naruto knew, thanks to hindsight, that Apollo was trying to keep him from becoming a mortal _male_ version of Artemis – a hunter with little care for mankind save for the young women, maidens, and children under the age of twelve – and in most part, he'd failed.

Naruto did not care for humanity as a whole. He did not believe himself to be bound by religion, nationalism, politics, or mortal law. He had stolen when it needed to be done, he had desecrated what was considered holy ground multiple times to stop crimes, and he cared little who was in charge of what city/state/country.

This did not mean Naruto didn't care about humanity. No, Naruto cared for the innocents. Those who choose to leave no mark on the world, to live day-by-day without real problems and those who tried to do good, to do what was right. The latter were few and far in between with the materialistic country the gods now dominated.

Still, while Naruto cared for some of humanity, the rest, those like the _dogs_ he'd dealt with before he met the group of demigods, he'd rather see them burn.

A stick cracked in the distance and Naruto opened an eye. He scanned the area, searched for the source. There was something coming from the north, something that lived in the darkness much like Naruto did.

Like Artemis did.

Naruto took a deep breath and relaxed his body. He carefully, silently moved from the tree. Once Naruto was back on the forest floor, he slipped through the shadows to find the source. Naruto's steps were slow and soft, but his mind was racing. His heart as well.

Had he stumbled across the Hunt?

Was he to be reunited with the goddess that raised him?

How would she react?

Would he be greeted with warmth or threatened to leave, to forget, as he was long ago?

"A busy mind is a dangerous mind, you know."

The man's voice was sudden, but it had Naruto stop and pull out an arrowhead from his pocket. The arrowhead was plucked from his hand by a force unseen to Naruto, but he was familiar of it. It was godly, this force that slapped his weapon from his grasp, and it was old.

But it was not Greek.

"_That_ seemed like you were about to make a bad choice. A loser's bet, in fact."

Naruto turned and stared at the well-dressed and handsome young man, his suit a glimmering silver much like the crescent moon above them. His head was shaven save for the lone side-lock of dark hair. His eyes were silver, cold and distant, but highly amused. Around the man's neck were many silver chains, a crescent moon medallion hung from one.

The man walked around Naruto, his amused smile still in place. "_I_ had come out here because _I_ thought it was a joke, but here _you_ are. A copycat superhero! First of his kind! Running around the streets of Virginia, kicking ass and taking names!" He chuckled and stopped back in front of Naruto with a pensive look on his face. "Hm, you can't call yourself 'Moon Knight', it's copyrighted, you know. But, maybe we can make a deal?"

"I don't even know who you are." Naruto frowned.

The man frowned. "No? Tch, are they _still_ sore that they had to ask us for help in World War II?"

Naruto had no answer.

The man rolled his eyes. "Oh enough of the 'mysterious' gimmick. Honestly." He snapped his fingers and Naruto's hood fell from his head, and his mask dropped to rest around his neck. The man arched a brow and whistled lowly. "Wicked scars you got there, kid. Didn't think that her Hunters were _that_ adamant about the 'no boys' rule."

"Birthmarks." Naruto frowned. His sisters were against the presence of males in camp, sure, but they never got violent. A bit mean, sometimes, but nothing a hug from another didn't fix. Naruto pushed the memories away and glared at the god that stood before him. "Who _are_ you?"

The man arched a brow and his smile widened. "Really? I'm standing before you in a silver themed attire, not unlike your own or the Hunters', with a pendant" he flicked the pendant with his finger and it dangled slightly "of a crescent moon, no less. My eyes are even silver!"

"You're a moon deity. That much I gathered. You're not Greek. You refer to the Olympians as 'they' and Artemis as 'her'. Distant pronouns." Naruto narrowed his eyes and kept his guard up.

The strange god sighed. "You'd think with the relationship Rome and Egypt had as well as our recent alliance back in the forties would wash away their distaste for the rest of us." The grin returned to his face, but his eyes remained distant, cold and slightly angry. He made a grandiose sweep of his arms. "Then, allow me to have the pleasure of introducing myself! I am the Egyptian God of Time, Youths and the Moon-!"

"Khonsu." Naruto didn't mean to speak, interrupting a god was stupid. He'd made that mistake often when he was a child, and the excuse that he 'didn't know better' only worked so long until Apollo had to pull him aside on their trip. Naruto's uncle had explained to him gravely what interruption could result in.

Luckily, Khonsu seemed to be more surprised than he was upset at the interruption. "So the costume was a rip off then? Which version do you like? I prefer Ultimate Moon Knight, to be honest, since I'm not a part of him at all."

"...I have a lot of questions..." Naruto realized, more to himself to the Egyptian deity that stood across from him.

Khonsu grinned. "They always do. You're lucky, boy. Mortals, even clear-sighted ones like yourself, are more likely to be ignored by the world. Maybe an immortal reaches out to take your to bed or maybe a magician takes you as an apprentice, but you, dear boy...You're different."

Naruto just swallowed. "Different...isn't good."

"It's not bad, either. It just is." Khonsu shrugged. "But that's not the point here. What is the point is that you're not the normal breed of clear-sighted mortal that usually runs around." Khonsu pointed at him, his grin wider than before. "You, kid...you're a new breed of human. One that no immortal saw coming. That could be good. That could be bad. Depends on who you ask and what agenda is being formed in the background."

Naruto frowned. "You want me to ask what you're getting at, why you decided to show up when no one else has?"

"Seems the Letoides didn't raise no fool," Khonsu said with a chuckle. He adjusted the silver cuffs on his sleeve. "You've seen what most Immortals see about humanity, and you've seen the promise that lays within. I want to make a bet."

"Bets and deals are weighted in immortal favor," Naruto said firmly.

Khonsu chuckled again. "Yes, yes it is. Well, I suppose I can even the score then. This bet, our wager, will be determined right now. We will play a game of chance, we'll roll this die."

A silver cube appeared in Khonsu's hand. The cube was tossed in the air and Naruto caught it. Naruto found that three sides were painted with a moon and the other three were painted with a bright sun. The mortal looked at the god, to see the grin still in place.

"Not weighted nor altered in any way." Khonsu held a hand up. "Sworn on Ra's Throne."

"Not very reassuring to one who was raised by an Olympian." Naruto drawled.

Khonsu rubbed his neck. "Ah, got me there. There's an oath for your sort, isn't there? Been a while since I dealt with a Greek."

"An Oath on the Styx," Naruto said. "It's the most powerful word of honor the Olympians have. To break the oath is to bring ill time on yourself."

Khonsu nodded. "Right, right. I, Khonsu, God of Time, Youths, and the Moon, son of Ra, Father of the Gods, swear on the Styx that the die used in our game of chance will not and has not be altered in any way by myself or another."

The sky boomed and Naruto felt far more respect for this god than he had for few others he'd met. Only his respect for Artemis and Apollo surpassed this, which was understandable as they had raised him. Naruto tightened his grasp around the die and lowered his guard slightly.

"What's your bet?" Naruto asked.

Khonsu grinned and held his hand out. A light appeared over his palm. "I wager my ren, my secret name. The very definition of who or what I am. The key to my soul. Whomever so holds this secret name has control over me, that forces me to do nearly whatever is bidden of me...but not for long. Magicians have tried again and again to bind me permanently, but they get greedy."

Khonsu closed his hand and grinned as the light dimmed out. "I have the feeling that greed isn't your ren."

"So we're betting our souls?" Naruto asked.

Khonsu shook his head. "No. _I'm_ betting my soul. You're betting your life."

The die in Naruto's hand suddenly felt heavier than it was before.

"We all sense it. All of us, kid." Khonsu took a step forward and his eyes seemed pleased when Naruto didn't take a step back. "Every immortal that ever was can feel it. Something ain't right. Someone doesn't belong here, in _our_ universe." Khonsu put his hand on his chest and his smile grew wide. "I just happened to decide to do something about it."

"And if I refuse to play the game?" Naruto asked. He rolled the die in his hand, his breathing still. He had an idea of what would happen.

"I go away and wipe your memory." Khonsu shrugged. "Wash of the hand, keep an eye on you occasionally if you step out of line. You're wearing my colors as much as you are your 'mother's."

Naruto nodded. "Very well. I accept your terms, Khonsu."

Khonsu's grin was bright, his teeth spotless, and a gleam appeared in his eyes. One of excitement.

"Then throw the die, Son of Artemis, and call the landing."

Naruto looked down at the die in his hand, the moon etched in one side gleamed back up at him. He slipped his thumb under the die and flicked it up. A word escaped Naruto's mouth. The die tumbled in the air. It arched in the air and time seemed to slow as it made its descent.

The die landed with a bounce. For a moment, Naruto's heart stopped and his eyes dilated. There was another bounce, both god and mortal watched the die intently in the faint moonlight.

When the die settled, Naruto simply stared at it and Khonsu's grin widened.

* * *

Thalia didn't know when it happened or how, but she cursed the horde of hellhounds that attacked her, Annabeth and Luke underneath an overpass. It'd been two months since they left Virginia with little Annabeth, and for the first three weeks there weren't that many monsters to follow them. The occasional lone hellhound or two came up, but aside from that, it was almost monster free. Now though, something had changed. More monsters came after them, a _lot_ more.

It was like they'd been doused in _eau de monster_ or something!

Thalia used her shield, a replica of Aegis, her father's shield, to bash a hellhound away from her as it made its lunge. She thrust her spear into the hellhound's side and quickly pulled it out to slash another hellhound away. Thalia looked over her shoulder towards the two blondes.

Luke was doing all right for having only the remains of a bronze sword. His last one had been snapped in half by some sort of snake legged woman. He faced off against three hellhounds while Annabeth finished off one of her own, one that had been wounded beforehand. Smart kid, knew she couldn't take one by herself yet, went for one Luke had wounded.

The bashed hellhound took Thalia's eyes off of her two companions and back on the threat at hand. With a yell, Thalia drove her spear into the canine-like monster's open mouth and through the back of its skull. It dispersed into golden dust after she pulled the spear out. Thalia turned her attention back on the other hellhounds, there were two more that joined the ones that had cornered Luke and Annabeth earlier.

"Hey, over here you bastards!"

Let it be known that street life does not leave a child's vocabulary pure.

And let it also be known that hellhounds do not understand the English language.

They do, however, understand that a sound accompanied by ill intent means to move, thus rendering Thalia's following surprised attack useless. The hellhound she intended to skewer had moved and Luke had nearly taken the blow, had he not been as riddled with ADHD as she was.

"Wow, geez, Thalia! Thought the hellhounds were enough of a problem!" Luke tried to down play his own nerves at nearly being killed with weak humor.

"Funny, Castellan, very funny." Thalia countered with a scowl as she forced herself to stand on her sprained ankle. Part of the reason Thalia didn't accidentally kill Luke was because she adjusted her landing mid air, but she landed on her left foot wrong. Thalia kept a Hellhound at bay with her shield and held her spear up accordingly. Another glance was thrown over her shoulder at the young blonde behind them before her gaze returned to the four monsters.

"How you holding up, Annie?" No response. "Annie!"

"I-I got one!"

Thalia smirked. "Atta girl."

A hellhound seemed to gain some courage as it took a large bite at the air right in front of her shield. Thalia sent some static into her spear and sent a large shock at it. The hellhound backed off, but the three demigods were cornered. Behind them was a concrete wall, and to either side was a hellhound. Thalia and Luke could try to fight them off, maybe even win, but the chance of this occurring was very low. One hellhound was easy with two demigods. Two were a bit challenging, but still doable. Three would be complicated and require a lot of luck. But four?

No chance.

"Thalia, got any ideas?" Luke asked.

Thalia swallowed. "None that immediately come to mind. You?"

"Fight back?"

"Let's do it."

Luke grinned and tightened his grip on his broken sword. "You know, I wish I had gotten a backup sword when you said to. Maybe there wouldn't have been four hellhounds."

"Told you last time we stopped, but _no_, you had to save room for supplies," Thalia said. She sent another shock to another hellhound and took a deep breath. Man that took a lot out of her.

"Little good that did us." Luke mumbled. He slashed at a Hellhound that got too close. The Hellhound backed away and snarled at Luke. Saliva dripped from its jaws.

There was a second of peaceful tension, but it was broken as the four hellhounds made to move forward.

Then, the air filled with snarls and growls was interrupted by the sound of soft clacking. A lone hellhound turned its ears towards the source, but the sound did not deter the others from their slow enclosure. Thalia looked towards the source, down in front of Luke's feet.

A silver die, with a sun and a moon painted on some of the sides, rested before Luke's right foot. Next to it, was a small scrap of paper, crinkled and partially unrolled. But there was something written on it that Thalia surprisingly understood and could barely make out. It was one word, and one word alone.

_Down_.

"Get down!" Thalia grabbed Annabeth's shoulder and dropped, Luke a step ahead of them, as silver blurs tore through the air towards the four hellhounds. The hellhounds couldn't move as they were pierced by something made of silver. The hellhounds slumped to the ground and slowly dissolved into golden dust.

All that remained were small silver crescent moons, each no larger than Thalia's hand.

The faint sound of a lone car passing overhead was the only thing that filled the air for a minute. Thalia was pretty sure she could hear faint music, but that was probably due to the adrenaline rush. There was a soft thump and a relieved sigh.

"Good thing you saw the note. I was momentarily afraid it would've been blown off by a gust of wind."

The three demigods turned to see a familiar figure in a hooded silver cloak perched behind them. His blue eyes looked them over for a minute before they met Thalia's. The eyes dropped and landed on her shield.

"That thing is still ugly as sin."

Thalia glowered at him. "I didn't exactly have a choice in decorating it, Whiskers."

A groan left the cloaked teen and he pulled his hood down, his face mask still up to conceal the source of his nickname. "Can you _not_ call me that?"

"It wasn't like you ever gave us your name." Luke mumbled a bit harshly. Thalia realized that was true. 'Whiskers' never gave a name to them. Annabeth called him what Thalia called him, and Luke always spoke with eye contact.

'Whiskers' blinked and stood upright. "Well to be fair, you never asked. You only wanted to know if I was a monster and why I could see what you saw since I wasn't a demigod."

That was also true, Thalia noted. They kept 'Whiskers' at arms length, well, she and Luke did anyway. Annabeth liked him and treasured the comic he'd given her. It was still preserved safely in the girl's grey backpack they'd snagged from a store a few days after they left Richmond.

"Can we know it now?" Annabeth asked as she looked up at the taller blond. 'Whiskers' looked back at her and stepped down from his perch. His cloak fell around him, concealing his form from real view.

"You can call me 'N'. I'll give you my name where there aren't any eyes or ears around." 'N' offered. Thalia took note of the lack of any bums or people about. All that were present were a few rats that had started to become brave. 'N' walked past the demigods and reached down to pick up the die he'd thrown with his note.

'N' stood and flicked the die into the air with his thumb. He caught it with a quick swipe before his hand disappeared back into his cloak. His eyes went back to them, a scan.

Thalia grimaced as his gaze fell on her ankle. She was using her spear to keep off of it, but he didn't – _couldn't_ know that...right?

"Luke, you know Connecticut well, right?" 'N' asked.

Thalia and Annabeth looked to the other blond boy, who had a dark look on his face. "How do you know that?"

"You gave me your first name. You didn't think that runaways were exempt from being reported missing, did you? Took me a while, but I found you, Annabeth, and even the damaged lightning rod, here." Naruto nodded to Thalia. Thalia was miffed that he wasn't really affected by her glare for making Annabeth and Luke aware of her injury.

"If you know where I used to live, why ask if I know Connecticut well?" Luke asked with a scowl on his face.

'N' arched a brow and amusement seemed to twinkle in his eyes. "I might know, I might not. But I know that you know that I know you remember where you live." 'N's gaze became distant and sad. "No one forgets where they come from, after all."

Luke's scowl deepened and he turned away slightly. "...Fine, but stay close."

"You should carry Annabeth." 'N' said.

"I can run, Whiskers!" Annabeth frowned at him. Thalia snorted while 'N' sent her a quick glare. He really didn't like that nickname it seemed.

'N's eyes became amused and gentle once more as he knelt down to look at her. "We need you to save your energy, Annabeth. We're all so tired and need our little wise girl to keep an eye out for more monsters."

Thalia had to fight down the smile that crossed her face as Annabeth seemed to be swayed by 'N's logic. She watched Luke begrudgingly pick the smaller blonde up in a piggyback ride and start to walk off. Thalia looked back at 'N' as he walked up to her and her gaze hardened.

"You so much as ask to carry me – Hey!" Thalia cried out as 'N' picked her up over his shoulders in a fireman's carry.

"Didn't ask." There was a smirk under that mask, Thalia just knew it.

Thalia scowled and collapsed her weapons with a huff. "You're a jerk, Whiskers."

"I've been told this before. ...And stop calling me that."

* * *

Naruto had, at Thalia's request, stopped to reposition her to be carried like Luke carried Annabeth.

It was far less humiliating for her that way and it was a lot easier for Naruto, too.

He could keep up with Luke _and_ not be subjected to Thalia's complaints.

They traveled in relative quiet through a small town until they came across a white Colonial house that looked almost lonely by where it was placed on the street. Luke stepped up the porch to the door and let Annabeth slide down his back to the ground before he crouched in front of the door.

"Picking the lock of your own house?" Naruto asked as he let Thalia slip down from his back carefully. He continued to let her use him for support while he watched Luke work.

Luke paused and looked back at the other blond. "There's a reason I ran off."

"Fair enough." Naruto shrugged. Hey, he said he looked the kids up, not that he read their whole files. That would be an invasion of privacy.

Luke got the door open in a few seconds and ushered them in quickly. He shut the door and turned, only to find their backs to him. "Guys, what are you waiting for? We can't stay long!"

"No, by all means..." Luke looked up at the one that obstructed their path. A man in a navy jogging suit stood before them. He had salt and peppered hair, with blue eyes that were akin to Luke's own. A smile spread across his face. "Have a seat. Get comfortable."

"Oh, god dammit." Naruto mumbled. He'd recognized the being by Apollo and his mother's descriptions of the 'lax' apparel that would often be worn on a day – or second – off. The patron of thieves, Hermes, stood before them.

"Watch your mouth, there's children present." Hermes told him firmly. He turned and walked into the living room, pausing to look over his shoulder. "Luke, come with me. We need to talk."

"...Yeah." Luke agreed. Naruto stole a glance as the other blond teen walked past and saw white knuckles formed by the clenching of his fists.

This was only going to end in tears.

Naruto led Thalia and Annabeth to the kitchen, where Thalia sat at an island countertop on a stool. Annabeth sat next to her and her eyes widened at the sight of a mountain of cookies that was on it. Her hand reached out to grab one, but Naruto's hand was faster. Annabeth recoiled and held her hand that had been slapped as she looked at the other blond with a pout.

"Don't be rude. Ask for permission first." Naruto looked at the other occupant of the kitchen. A wiry woman with white hair that seemed to slowly be falling out. She looked almost like a scarecrow.

"Hello, children!" The woman greeted with a smile on her face. "My name is May."

"Hello, Ms. Castellan," Naruto said softly as he pulled his mask down. He took a seat next to Thalia and forced her to turn towards him so he could look at her ankle. "This is Thalia and next to her is Annabeth. My name is Naruto."

Thalia arched a brow, a smirk on her face. "Really? That's a weird name, Whisk-Ow!"

Naruto gave her a look as he tested the functionality of her injured foot. "Sprained. Nothing too severe, but walking on it could've cost you in the long run." He turned to May with a gentle smile on his face. "Excuse me, Ms. Castellan, but do you have any ichor or ice I could use?"

Annabeth furrowed her brows. "Where would she get ichor?"

Naruto ignored the question as May smiled, her clouded eyes gained some light to them. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. "What a polite boy! That reminds me of the time my son, Luke, and I went to get some ice cream. Oh, he was so precious when he was little. Nervous as a tick when he asked for rocky road from the pretty girl behind the counter. Like his father, he was, a little ladies man in the making..."

A tray of ice was pulled out and a jar of slightly golden liquid was set on the table. Thalia looked at Naruto with confusion written on her face and Naruto softly whispered, "With the Traveller here, one can assume that she's more aware of things than we think."

"Would you like some Kool-Aid, sweetie?" May asked Annabeth. "A cookie perhaps?"

"S-Sure," Annabeth said uneasily as the cloudy eyes met hers. A cup was set before her and red liquid, poorly mixed if those clumps were anything to go by, was poured in. The cookie Annabeth had tried to snag beforehand was greeted by a grimace as she showed the bottom of the snack to the older demigods. Burnt like it had been cooked for too long.

Annabeth gave them a pleading look and silently mouthed, _Can we go now?_

Naruto frowned at her slightly. _Manners_.

The young daughter of Athena pouted unhappily as May started to make a new batch of cookies and talked about Luke's childhood.

Naruto paid it no mind and returned to his treatment. He rubbed some ichor and ice around the ankle with a napkin and had Thalia take a sip of the former. While May had their attention with a gripping tale of Luke's first few days of potty training – that boy did not want to be in diapers or limited to one spot when he did his business, apparently – Naruto pressed his hand over the ankle and closed his eyes.

After he'd thought of some words to use, Naruto began to sing softly – not with the best voice in the world, but it wasn't bad either – in Greek. It was a trick used mostly by his 'cousins', to sing to Apollo to heal another, but Apollo told him that it really didn't have to be his kids that sang. He'd accept a request made by _anyone_ that was singing about him. His mother said it was due to his ego. Apollo never disagreed when Naruto asked if it was true.

May ignored the song, going to a story about Luke picking a locker in school, but Thalia and Annabeth stared at Naruto curiously. He sang too softly for them to really catch with May's chatter taking up most of the sound. By the time Naruto had finished, he had released Thalia's leg and let her walk around on it for a second.

"How'd you do that?" Thalia asked with a curious and wary frown. She started to pull her sock and shoe back on while Annabeth stared in genuine curiosity.

"Old trick my uncle taught me. Wasn't sure if it would work," Naruto said with a shrug. He covered the lid on the ichor and handed it back to May. "Thank you, Ms. Castellan."

May smiled back at him. "No problem, deary-"

"Then you don't care!"

Eyes went to the hall as Luke's shout echoed in the house. Naruto winced. Yeah, this was going to end badly. Eyes went to May, who had stopped stirring and set the bowl of cookie mix down.

"Luke? Is that you?" Her voice was worried, hopeful, and elated. "Is that my boy?"

Luke ran from the living room and left the house. Annabeth was quick on his heels and Thalia was right on hers. Naruto stood from his seat and pulled his mask back up. He watched as the elderly woman moved from the kitchen to the door in a speed one would not expect of her.

"Luke! Luke, come back! My boy!" Tears fell down her cheeks.

Hermes was behind her. He had her in a embrace one would not expect a god to use when they kept a mortal from chasing after demigods. Naruto slipped by and pulled his hood up.

He turned back and his eyes locked with the god's for a brief moment before he looked at the sobbing May. "Ms. Castellan, thank you for all your help."

"My boy!" May wailed.

Naruto turned and ran off towards the woods that the other three had run to. There were clouds forming overhead and the moon was being hidden from sight. Naruto took one last look at the Castellan house, the image of the worried mother driven to tears burned in his mind. He turned back towards the shadows of the wilderness and embraced them.

Humans and immortals...so different and so very much alike.

* * *

"Would you like to talk about it?" Naruto asked that night. Luke was too worked up to sleep and had told Thalia and Annabeth that he'd take first watch. Annabeth had asked what Hermes was like, and Luke almost flipped had Thalia not pulled Annabeth aside and offered to read the comic with her again before bed.

"What do you care?" Luke asked bitterly. "You're not a demigod."

"I am not a demigod, but I know what it's like to feel betrayed by your father." Naruto added.

"It's not the same." Luke grumbled.

Naruto sighed. It looked like he'd have to start this conversation if he was to make any headway. "My birth mother died the night I was born. My father was nowhere to be found. It wasn't complications in birth that killed her. According to my adoptive mother, my birth mother was riddled in cuts and gashes. She held on long enough to give me my name."

"...Your name?" Luke asked. Naruto looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Naruto. It means maelstrom or fishcake in Japanese, depending on how it's written." He explained. "There's probably another meaning for it, but that's what I know."

"...Do you know who your father is?" Luke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Don't know, don't care. If I ever meet him in this world or the next, I'm going to punch him square in the face."

"How do you know you're not a demigod?" Luke asked.

"My mother, the one that adopted and raised me, has experience with demigods. She's very worldly." Naruto smiled softly as Luke narrowed his eyes.

"How does she have experience with demigods?" Luke asked.

"She's _very_ worldly. You could say she's clear sighted, too." Naruto chuckled. "Far better sight than I have. Anyone, really."

"Why haven't gods gone after her, then?" Luke asked.

Naruto smirked. "My uncle is _very_ protective of her. He's got wicked aim and a bit of a sadistic streak to him. Almost killed a guy for making a pass at her."

"...And this would scare a god?" Luke asked in disbelief.

Naruto grinned, a feral-like smirk plastered on his face under his mask. "Gods are smart. They know a bad idea when they see it. Going after my mother...possibly the worst idea imaginable."

"...Your family sounds awesome." Luke commented.

Naruto looked up at the sky. "They are. They've got faults too, though. Mom doesn't like a lot of guys and her adopted daughters, my sisters, aren't fans, either. I left because it made them...uncomfortable." _And because it was against old laws._

"That sucks." Luke frowned. "Couldn't they have gotten over it?"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe. Doubt it. Doesn't matter. I decided to leave with my Uncle. He couldn't stay with me long, though. He's got a job that keeps him away."

"Well...At least you don't have monsters after you." Luke joked.

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his die. He looked it over and his eyes became hard. "Yeah...no monsters..."

"Cool die. Where'd you get it?" Luke asked.

"Picked it up when I was tracking you guys down." Naruto flicked it into the air and caught it. "Was getting bored and figured being in a group of demigods would be better than running around Richmond pretending to be a superhero."

Luke frowned. His guard went up like rock walls at Naruto's comment. "...So...what exactly spurred on this get up?"

Naruto looked at his die. "I wanted to make a difference...And keep my home safe."

"And now?" Luke asked.

Naruto looked at him. A soft light appeared in his eyes. "I felt some other kids needed to find a home, too."

Luke fought the smile that spread across his face for a moment before he held his hand out. "Glad to have you. Luke Castellan."

Naruto looked at the hand for a moment before he pocketed his die and took hold of Luke's hand.

"Naruto, but my legal name is Nathan Blank."

* * *

"Die!" Thalia cried out as she stabbed another hellhound in the head. It had been a few months since the mortal had joined up with them. Naruto kept to the shadows mostly and was great when it came to deciding where one should camp. More sleep filled nights were had than if they had been without him. He was also good at finding weapons and supplies. Something about tricks his mother and sisters taught him.

A silver arrowhead flew inches from Thalia's head, over her shoulder and into a jumping hellhound's eye socket. The guy was a natural survivor and he made up for what she and Luke lacked, a ranged support. Naruto was an ace shot with his thrown weapons. Thalia didn't know when the guy slept, but it had to be less than an hour each night. Seriously, the amount of times Naruto saved the demigods' lives in their sleep was surprisingly high.

"They just keep coming," Thalia said in tired outrage. This was the fifth pack that had attacked them that night, and without looking, Thalia knew Luke was on his last legs, too. She frowned as he stumbled and narrowly escaped a hellhound's swipe with its front paw. Luke had been getting a bit more reckless. He'd attacked most monsters he could lay his eyes on, and in another time, it would've driven him and Thalia to exhaustion, near death. Each survival would've made them closer than they already were before.

Now, with a third and, begrudgingly admitted, more talented fighter, it had only made her increasingly agitated with the boy. Naruto had tried to explain that the run in with Hermes had made Luke unsettled, that there were just some things one had to figure out for themselves, but Thalia wouldn't buy it. Luke didn't think before he acted when he saw a monster, he didn't consider his, hers or even _Annabeth's_ safety when they fought a monster.

The girl in question was back with Naruto, close enough that he could grab her if needed, but able to hold her own against a hellhound. Her tactics got better with each night, and that could be attributed to Naruto's knowledge of hunting.

"_Mom likes to hunt." Naruto explained when asked how he knew all of this. "It was a simple way of life. You could call her a naturalist, I guess."_

Thalia found it odd when he never gave a name to the woman he called 'Mom'. There was a sister he mentioned a lot, Zoë, but they never got an exact name for his mother. They knew his Uncle Fred through some zany stories about trips to Japan or China – Frankly, Thalia thought Uncle Fred was a perv with all the women that would come up in the stories, but kept those to herself out of respect for the boy that travelled with them – but got no hints to his mother.

Ms. Blank was an apt name, as Thalia couldn't think of anything else to call the woman other than Naruto's Mom.

"There's another pack coming!" Naruto's warning came along with the howls of more hellhounds. Thalia grimaced. There were too many. She and Luke were exhausted – hell, Thalia could barely manage a single spark by the third pack of hellhounds – Annabeth could barely handle one Hellhound, and Naruto was probably low on silver.

"We can handle it!" Luke managed to get out as he cut another hellhound down. "It's got to be the last group!"

"Luke, there's too many!" Naruto sounded closer than before and Thalia caught sight of him. His cloak was gone, torn to shreds earlier when the third pack nearly flanked them. Like herself and Luke, Naruto had cuts on his body from the hellhound's claws getting too close. The mask around his face was ripped slightly on the left, the side that faced her, and revealed one of his whisker marks.

"W-We need to run!" Annabeth agreed from where she clung to Naruto's back. Her leg had a large cut on it and Thalia saw the younger girl blink away the tears.

"Annie, you okay?" Thalia asked. She turned and stabbed another Hellhound with her spear. A final lunged at her but was nailed in the side of the skull by a silver arrowhead. Thalia glowered at Naruto before she looked to the younger blonde on his back.

"I'm okay, just hurts a bit." The admittance was quiet, but at least she was honest. Acting tough was stupid, even when supplies were limited. Naruto made that clear when Luke got a gash in his arm and tried to brush it off.

"_Would you rather die because you were so stubborn that you bled out, or would you like to ensure that we __all__ make it to the next safe house?"_

Naruto was curt, but not unkind. He genuinely cared about all of them, even though he was a bit distant. It was like he expected them to leave him behind sometime.

"Glad to hear it." Thalia nodded. She looked at Luke as he finished off his hellhound. They looked at the last pack that was heading towards them. Luke steadied his ground and Thalia glared at him. "Luke, come on!"

"I can catch up!" Luke called over to them. He sounded just as exhausted as Thalia felt.

Naruto gave an annoyed grunt. "Oh, now he wants to be the-?" Naruto stopped abruptly and turned to the woods behind them. He hissed out a swear that Thalia felt was a bit too inappropriate for Annabeth's ears.

"What's that mean?" Annabeth asked.

"Tell you when you're older," Thalia said as she frowned at the older boy. "What?"

"I need to leave. Luke should come with me." Naruto mumbled.

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"

Naruto shook his head. "Never mind. It's too late." He crouched down and slipped Annabeth from his back. "Annie, stand next to Thalia."

"But-"

Naruto didn't tear his eyes from the forest. "Annabeth, just do it."

The force he used behind his order had Annabeth back away and stumble into Thalia. The older girl let Annabeth keep her weight off of her leg and they watched as Naruto turned towards the hellhounds. He reached behind him and pulled a large, silver arrowhead from his back pouch. It was easily large enough to fit on a pole to make a spear.

"Run to the forest." Naruto softly instructed. "Luke and I will cover you."

"What?!" Okay, why were boys so stupid? Thalia scowled and opened her mouth to call them both idiots, but she stopped when Naruto's eyes met hers.

Cold orbs of ice had replaced the warm ocean blues that once rested in his eyes.

"I said _go_."

Thalia frowned and put her shield away. She let Annabeth climb onto her back and started to back up.

Luke looked at her over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for!? Get going!"

Thalia grit her teeth and turned to run. She ignored Annabeth's questions about the two idiots she'd left behind. Thalia was mere feet from the woods when the first arrow shot over her shoulder. She came to a stop and dropped to the ground. Thalia pulled Annabeth around and covered her with her own body.

"Fire!" A voice called from the woods before more arrows shot from them. There were pained howls and the sound of brush being moved. There were more arrows fired, it sounded like someone had just decided to rip a bunch of cardboard at once, and even more howls. Thalia kept down and quiet until a hand placed itself on her shoulder.

"Hey there." The voice was gentle and feminine, and caused Thalia to look up. A girl her age or maybe a year older smiled down at her. Her hair was brown and green eyes looked down at her with care. Oddly enough, like Naruto, the girl was clad in a silver cloak. "I'm Melissa, are you all right?"

"...Thalia." Thalia decided after a minute. She got up with Annabeth and looked at the young blonde's injured leg. "I'm fine, but she needs some bandages."

"Wow, at least it's a shallow cut. Thalia come with-!"

"Milady!" A voice called from behind Thalia. Thalia and Melissa turned to see two other girls coming back from the clearing. Behind them, Luke followed with a frown on his face. His sword was in one of the girls' hands, but they were down a person.

Naruto wasn't with them.

The girl that had called out was taller and a bit older than Thalia and looked a bit like a Persian princess with that dumb tiara on her head. She came to a stop in front of a younger girl, around twelve or thirteen if Thalia had to guess, with dark auburn hair pulled back into a pony tail. She had a circlet of her own on her head, with a familiar symbol in the middle of her forehead.

A crescent moon.

Thalia stared at the moon and found herself distracted long enough before she registered the conversation as the older girl spoke with the younger.

"Are you sure?"

"He was here." The older girl urgently mumbled. She held her hand out and a glint of silver caught Thalia's eye.

The younger girl took the object from the older's hand with a small frown on her face. Her eyes, cold and bright like the moon above them, looked it over before she clenched it tightly in her grasp. She looked back at the taller girl.

"Come along," Melissa said as she took Annabeth into her arms and turned. "We have started to set camp for the night. You'll be safe with us."

Thalia strained her ears as she, Annabeth and Luke were led away. "...A Hunter with...find him and end..."

It was gone, they were too far. Thalia scowled and looked at Luke. "Where's 'N'?"

"Don't know." Luke muttered under his breath. He looked pissed. "One second he's there fighting hellhounds with me, and the next he's gone. He might've said something, but I was too busy to hear him. Next thing I know, bunch of arrows made of silver are falling from the sky and taking out the Hellhounds." Luke looked at the girl that led him. "Thanks, by the way."

"Spare us your gratitude," Melissa said with a scowl. Thalia frowned, that was an abrupt turn around. "If you wanted to thank us, you should've stepped-!"

"Melissa!" Another girl, this one with yellow hair like straw and sky blue eyes snapped. She stepped up and tossed Luke a roll of bandages and a bottle. "Here. Fix yourself up, _boy_."

It was nicer than Melissa, but it was still a bit harsh. Thalia frowned as the girl sat them down and took care of Annabeth's cut. She took a glance at some of the surrounding girls and noted their glares directed at Luke, who shifted uneasily as he treated a cut on his shoulder.

"What's your problem?" Thalia asked the one that was helping Annabeth. "What did Luke do to you guys?"

"_He_ has done nothing...yet. _He_ will, I'm sure." Melissa answered scornfully.

The one treating Annabeth stopped and frowned at her. "Melissa, isn't there a watch you need to join?"

Melissa huffed and walked off while the girl that was assisting Annabeth looked at Thalia.

"We are the Hunters of Artemis."

That certainly cleared up the questions in Thalia's head. More were raised, though. Like what were those two Hunters talking about? How did Naruto know the Hunters were here? How did he know about the Hunters at all? Why did Naruto disappear and leave Luke to the hellhounds?

And the biggest question that was going through the daughter of Zeus' head: Where was Naruto now?

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow..." Naruto hissed as he pulled a silver arrowhead out of his side slowly and carefully. He was seated against a tree at least a mile from the clearing. Or, at least, he hoped it was a mile. Naruto didn't exactly want to be found by the Hunters. That wasn't a reunion he wanted to have.

Ever.

First things first, he needed to get the arrow out of him before he bled out or it got infected. Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out one of his crescent moon shuriken. He used it like a plier, giving a hiss as he opened the wound to grab the arrowhead. Carefully, he dislodged the projectile from his side. It wasn't without a scream that the arrow left his body.

Naruto took heavy breaths and pressed his hand against his side. He grit his teeth and used his other hand to pull his second pouch around. He always had small quick fix supplies in this one. After a bit of digging, Naruto found what he needed.

A needle and thread.

He grimaced. This was going to hurt like hell.

"Ouch, that looks painful."

Naruto looked up and glowered at the one that smiled down at him.

"Khonsu..." Naruto grumbled. "Not in the mood for your crap right now."

Khonsu gained a wounded frown and put his hand on his chest. "Ouch, that hurts me right here, Naruto. I thought we were friends!"

"We're not." Naruto grit out as he tried to thread the needle with one hand. It did not go well.

"You know, I could help you with that," Khonsu said nonchalantly.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. There's no such thing as a free lunch," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

Khonsu frowned. "You're no fun."

"Bite me."

"Now that's just rude." Khonsu crossed his arms over his chest and his necklaces gleamed in the moonlight. He watched Naruto struggle with the needle and thread for another minute before he sighed. "Now this is just sad."

He snapped his fingers and the needle became threaded. Khonsu pointed at the wound and the needle began to stitch up the gash. Naruto grit his teeth and his nails dug into the ground. It took a few minutes, but the wound was stitched shut.

"There, don't say I never did anything nice for you," Khonsu said with a smirk.

Naruto grimaced. "What do you want?"

"Nothing...yet, anyway. Just came to check up on you."

"While the Hunters were on my trail?" Naruto asked dryly.

Khonsu's smirk dimmed. "They cannot find you, Naruto. _She_ will know of our interactions. You should leave as soon as possible."

Naruto shook his head stubbornly. "I can't leave the others behind."

Khonsu pursed his lips before he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, well I tried to warn you. Might as well let you know that another is on your tail aside from the Hunters."

Naruto looked at the Egyptian god sharply. "Another _what_?"

"He should find you sometime soon." Khonsu continued without acknowledging Naruto's question. "Word of advice, don't bring up the subject of your mother or father. He'll never shut up about it. Hot tempered, that one." Khonsu dusted his sleeve off and looked up. "Huh, would you look at that? An hour passed. How time flies."

Naruto grimaced as Khonsu faded from view. As a god of Time, he could control the flow of time. When they first met, Khonsu had frozen their small place in time so they could converse. It had set Naruto a week behind the trio of demigods he followed, before he caught up to them again. It seemed this time, Khonsu wasn't as willing to do something so chaotic.

Naruto waited for the stitching to hold, for the blood flow to slow, before he patched it with some fabric he tore from his leg and tape that was in his pouch. With a bit of effort, the mortal got back to his feet. He took a few steps and braced himself against a tree while he held his injured side. As per the norm, Naruto was right.

That hurt like hell.

Naruto clenched his hand into a fist and stubbornly pushed on. He disappeared into the shadows of the woods. He would have to travel down wind once he found the nearest creek or sewer to clear away his scent. The Hunters were after him, and it would be a cold day in the Underworld before he was found.

* * *

"He sat here," a Hunter said softly as she pressed her hand against a tree. "And dug the arrow out of his side."

"Amazing that he didn't leave a blood trail." Another commented. There was a hint of scorn in her words. "I'd have thought he'd forget how to live like us when he left with his _uncle_."

"Creusa, watch thy tongue." The first Hunter warned. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around the area. The dirt a few feet away from this spot was disturbed, as though another person stood there. Something was wrong.

"I apologize, Zoë, but tell me, why do we care?" Creusa asked. She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "He's just another boy now, but at least he has a bit of brains to stay away."

Zoë turned and frowned at the Hunter. "He is our Lady's son and he's been missing for seven months. Not even the gods can find him."

"Why do we have to?" Creusa asked again. "He's a _boy_."

"He's our Lady's son." Zoë repeated herself firmly. She turned and walked further into the woods as a small frown crossed her face. There was one answer that she had to know now more than ever, a question she will undoubtedly share with her patron.

_Who were you speaking with, little brother?_

* * *

A small meal, some kind of stew was offered to the three demigods, and they took it. Annabeth had a few pleasant conversations with the other Hunters, but for the most part, Thalia and Luke urged her to stay away from them. Now they were settled together in a small tent offered by a hunter for them, and Annabeth slept soundly next to Luke while the boy and Thalia spoke quietly to one another.

"He wanted you and him to leave," Thalia said to the miffed boy that sat with them. Luke was still sore that Naruto had vanished in the middle of the fight. "He knew that the Hunters were coming..."

"How!?" Luke shot back lowly. "How did he know? He's keeping something from us, Thalia, and _if_ he comes back, we need to find out what it is."

"Nar-Whiskers _will_ come back." Thalia rebuffed Luke's concern. Naruto hadn't left them thus far and he'd had many chances to do so during their journey together. "And we'll get answers when he does."

Their makeshift tent was opened by the Persian princess that had the hushed conversation before. She looked at Luke with hardly concealed distain and then looked at Thalia with a bit more approval.

"My Lady would wish to speak with thee." The girl said curtly. Luke started to join Thalia in getting up, but he was stopped by a glare. "Not thou, _boy_. _Thou_ shall stay and watch the child."

Luke frowned and held his tongue while Thalia frowned outright. Luke may have been acting like an idiot lately, but that didn't give this chick the right to talk down to her friend like that. Thalia made to open her mouth and say this, but a shake of the head from Luke told her to let it slide. They weren't exactly on their home turf right now.

Thalia quietly left the tent and followed the taller girl to a larger tent of silver with a crescent moon on the front. She stole glances and noticed the tension that had overcome the Hunters. Like they were all torn from being elated or upset at some news. Beyond that, Thalia saw that there were a few white wolves that looked like they were patrolling the camp.

Melissa walked out of the tent with a frown directed at Thalia, but nodded to the other girl. "She's waiting for you."

"I am aware." The girl walked past without another word. Thalia followed and entered the tent. The interior was filled with furs of all sorts of animals, a few looked like hellhound furs. In the center of the tent were a few cushions set before a table, and on the other side sat the same young Hunter from before, the one with the crescent moon on her circlet.

"My lady, I've brought the girl as you requested." The leading Hunter, the Persian princess as Thalia dubbed her, stopped and bowed. She sent a cross look to Thalia when she noticed the girl just stood there. The Hunter righted herself and scowled at the girl. "Have thou no manners, girl?"

"Enough, Zoë, I don't think she knows who I am. That's forgivable." The young girl smiled at Thalia before her form shone brightly. Thalia had to close her eyes and look away before she looked back to see an older version of the girl seated behind the table. The beauty of this woman was even more prominent than before and Thalia found herself a little envious. The woman smiled slightly at her. "My name is Artemis, and this is my lieutenant Zoë Nightshade."

Thalia certainly felt stupefied at the proclamation before she took a seat at one of the cushions offered to her. "You're Artemis? Like, the goddess of the Moon?"

"Yes." Artemis nodded. "And the goddess of the Hunt."

"...Wow." It was all Thalia could really say. "W-What do you want from me?"

Artemis smiled gently at her. "Well, I just want to ask you a few questions."

"Questions?" Thalia frowned. "Like what?"

"Would you like to join the Hunt?" Artemis' question was blunt and to the point. It would have thrown Thalia off guard if she wasn't used to blunt questions from Naruto.

"_To skirt around an issue is to waste time, time that could cost someone a life. It's better to be blunt and get the issue out in the air."_

Thalia frowned slightly, which caused Artemis to frown as well. "What do you mean?"

"For every young girl, around your age and a bit older, I ask them to join me in the Hunt. To slay monsters at my side for eternity."

_Slay monsters for eternity..._ That certainly sounded nice to Thalia. Get some payback for the horror she was put through over the years. Thalia crossed her arms. "What's the catch?"

"The catch." Artemis hummed and then shook her head. "It is not guaranteed immortality, you could still fall in battle, but you must swear an oath to the Hunt. To forsake the foolhardiness of love or boys."

That was it? No way, it wasn't that easy. Thalia looked around the cabin as her thoughts ran wild. Her eyes landed on a small metal box set on a yellow blanket slightly behind Artemis. It was, like many other things, shaped like a crescent moon. There was something unnatural about it though. Thalia couldn't put her finger on it, but it put her off.

"The question is simple, thou should answer before we take thy silence as a no!" Zoë hissed impatiently. Thalia glared at her and Zoë glared back, but her eyes flickered to the box that Thalia had noticed. Something about it made Zoë uneasy. What was so special about the damn metal moon?

"Zoë," Artemis said sternly, and her gaze had the lieutenant back off. The goddess looked back at Thalia. "It is a simple yes or no, Thalia."

"...What about my friends?" Thalia asked softly. Luke couldn't keep Annabeth safe alone and, what if, he was right and Naruto ran off for good? Naruto was just a mortal, a weird one, but a mortal nonetheless. He _didn't_ have to stick around with a bunch of demigods and risk his life for them.

"If the girl were a bit older, she'd be in here with you, being asked the same question. As it is now, she is too young to make a decision without understanding the consequences."

"So there _are_ consequences, huh?" Thalia asked. Artemis arched a brow in bemusement while Zoë scowled outright. Thalia crossed her arms and waited, but neither rose to the bait.

Artemis continued despite the question asked not being answered. "The _boy_, well, I suppose I should tell him where to go, but someone must surely be looking for him by now."

"You'd just throw him to the wolves?" Thalia asked with a frown.

Zoë scoffed and muttered scornfully. "That would be too kind."

"Zoë!" Artemis snapped curtly.

Thalia, however, wasn't so quick to forgive the discrimination this time. "What's your deal, Princess?"

Zoë glared at the girl and looked to the goddess. "Apologies, milady, but shouldn't this wait until after our search is completed? This girl is already used to the _boy's_ company and-!"

"The _boy_ has a name and his _name_ is Luke!" Thalia retorted with a frown. "And like it or not, _he_ is my friend!"

Zoë frowned back at her. "Thou are a fool!"

"Only fool I see around here is you, Princess!"

"That _boy_ will turn on thou as soon as it suits him."

"Don't say that like you know him!" Thalia growled.

Zoë scoffed. "He's like any other _man_ on this planet, concerned only to sate the needs and desires of their real bra-!"

"Zoë, that is enough!" Artemis words were quick as a whip and the lieutenant became silent. The tension was high and Artemis sighed before she looked at the static that danced across Thalia's hands. "I apologize, Thalia. I know that...Luke, is your friend. This decision is hard, perhaps, another time, I shall ask you. If we meet again, maybe circumstances will be different."

"Doubt it." Thalia scowled and made to rise. Artemis raised her hand and stopped her.

"Before you go, I have another question." Artemis waited for Thalia to sit back down and then pulled out a silver arrowhead that made Thalia's eyes widen. One of the same arrowheads Naruto used when he fought monsters. You could tell because, unlike the arrows of the hunters, there was no way to attach a shaft to them. Artemis must've seen Thalia's eyes widen, because her silvery ones narrowed. "You've seen this before, I take it?"

"Yeah, all of your Hunters have them," Thalia said quickly. She crossed her arms again and looked away, her gaze returned to the metal box behind Artemis. What the hell was it? Why did it make her wary?

Why did it feel like it didn't belong?

"This is not one of my Hunters' arrowheads, Thalia." Artemis' voice was low. "This belongs to someone outside of the Hunt, someone we've been looking for, for a long time now."

Thalia frowned. "What do you want with Whiskers?"

Artemis paused and a small chuckle came from her lips. Thalia's brows furrowed and she looked to Zoë, surprised to see a faint ghost of a smile on the princess' own features. Thalia looked back to the goddess, her frown still in place.

"What's so funny?"

Artemis sighed, a smile on her face. "It's an apt nickname, I suppose."

"Yes it is, Milady." Zoë nodded. "Shame we did not consider it. A blessing, even, that Lord Apollo doesn't know of it."

"Indeed it is."

Thalia scowled. "Wanna let me in on the joke here?"

Artemis turned and grabbed the two items that Thalia kept finding herself drawn to look at. Up close, they were even more out of place. The yellow cloth was not a fur, but a blanket with a golden sun etched into it, from what Thalia could make out despite the folds. The crescent moon metal box, however, was still a puzzle. Artemis pressed the side and the top opened. A mobile with shapes of stars and small moons popped out, and the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" began to play.

Thalia's brow shot up and her jaw dropped as she put the pieces together. Her eyes went to Artemis and she thought over things that Naruto had said. He vaguely hinted to his past, never once revealing who his adoptive mother was.

"_I left. Had to. My sisters were starting to drive me nuts."_

"_Mom likes to hunt."_

"_Older sisters. They're awesome. A bit ...hardheaded sometimes, but they've got good hearts."_

"_You could call her a naturalist."_

"Oh my God." Thalia looked at Artemis. "You're Naruto's mom."

Artemis smiled gently and turned the mobile off, where it folded away. "Yes...Yes I am."

* * *

"Ow, gods above and across the world, that hurts." Naruto hissed as he slumped against a tree. His eyes drooped and his hand went to his poorly covered side. It burned, like nothing Naruto had ever felt before. A pained hiss left his lips.

_A mile to go._

Naruto groaned and rose up only to stumble and fall to the forest floor on his uninjured side. His wound was reopened, it had to be. That was the only reason it hurt so much. That or it was infected.

Either way, Naruto had to push on.

The fire came back, the burn was more intense than before. It was the most agonizing pain Naruto had ever felt in his life. Naruto stopped and braced himself on his hands and knees.

_Keep going._

Naruto could hardly get back up, but somehow he managed to. He stumbled forward, using the trees as support. Eyes screwed shut as the pain flared. Naruto slumped down to his knees and took labored breaths.

"Finally."

A deep voice echoed around him as a shadow encompassed Naruto's body. The blond barely managed to jump away as a red hand-like claw smashed down into the ground where he once stood. The trees melted away into nothing and Naruto was left in a poorly illuminated area. Naruto's eyes moved up as a red claw overshadowed his form. He looked up beyond that and found a massive fox...with rabbit-like ears. Nine tails danced behind the creature and two blood red eyes glared down at Naruto with so much hatred, that Naruto could barely breathe.

"Uzumaki..." It snarled. "You are the last of your kind, the last that could potentially end me..."

"Wh-what?" Naruto asked. He bit down on his lip behind his mask as another flare of pain shot up around him. Naruto pressed his hand into his side and looked down at the wound. His eyes went wide as red...energy leaked from his side over his hand and slithered towards the massive fox.

"You have my chakra. I want it back!" The claw rose back up and shot down right at Naruto's body. The middle claw on the fox's hand passed through Naruto's chest, and would've torn through his whole torso if it hadn't merely phased through him like a ghost.

"What the Hell is going on!?" Naruto demanded around a pained cry.

The fox snarled at him, its teeth bared as its eyes glared at him. "It seems our connection is not strong enough for me to simply kill you here, _boy_. I must wait until I reform to take back what is mine. Be ready Uzumaki, for when I do return, I will take your life."

"Who..._what_ are you!?" Naruto asked.

The fox snarled at him. "I am your death!" It lunged forward with its maw open wide and closed around Naruto's form before he could move.

Naruto's eyes snapped open and jerked from where he rested in an abandoned bear's cave. He hissed and moved his hand to press against his side. Naruto looked down at the wound and pulled the tape away to look at the stitching. There was no sign of any of that red energy.

Naruto scanned the outside of the cave he had hid himself in. It was set down wind of nearly every direction, so he would be safe from discovery here. There was also no sign of a giant monster fox trying to eat him. He frowned and sat back against the rock wall. This bore some looking into.

What was that fox? What is _chakra_? Just what exactly was he?

* * *

**AN: Wow, yeah, I know I said Demeter, but...I came up high and dry. So, while I was plotting out that story, I came up with this one. The continuation of probably the most popular of the group.**

**Hope y'all enjoyed it!**

**REVIEW!**


	10. It's Tricky

**Disclaimer: I don't own rights to the SSX series, Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly. I do own SSX Tricky and I rock Garibaldi every time!**

**It's Tricky**

* * *

Alaska, the last frontier.

It was the forty-ninth addition to the United States of America, purchased in 1867. It was called the most expensive popsicle in history. It _is_ the largest state in the United States, with over six hundred and sixty thousand square miles of land to its name. Despite the massive size, there were only almost eight hundred thousand people in Alaska and two were currently on their way to the Alaska Range via helicopter, Mount Foraker to be precise.

The roar of the wind being cut by the helicopter's blades had the pilot look up at a meter above him and then hit the switch. "Just hit the PNR! I'm going to have to refuel at the bottom of the mountain! You sure you don't just want to head up on one of their rides with the others on the tour?"

"I'll be fine, Mac." The passenger in the back said from where he was seated behind the pilot.

The passenger was a young man that was at his physical peak, seen by his toned arms. He had a small black backpack with a red spiral on the outermost pouch. He wore a light black vest, red band with a black spiral on his left arm, slightly shorter than average orange snow pants, and dark boots on his feet. Around his head was a steel grey bandana that kept cropped blond hair out of his face. He pulled orange tinted snow goggles over his eyes and stood up. He moved to the middle of the helicopter and grabbed a handle that was on the door.

The passenger then grabbed an icy white board that rested to the side of the door and set it at his feet. His boots clicked into place and the passenger tested the emergency release, also known as the Supercross Button (or the SX Button as most users called it) in the current tour he was on.

"Be at the peak in a bit!" Mac called over his shoulder. He reached up and flipped the switch above him. The interior of the helicopter lights turned red.

The passenger nodded and reached up to his ear. He tapped a bud and nodded his head to the remixed Run-DMC classic as it filled his ear.

"_I-I-It's Tricky._"

Eyes hidden by the orange goggles closed. Sound was drowned out as he focused on his breathing. Fifty meters left. Thirty. Ten. The passenger turned the handle and opened the door. Cold air rushed into the somewhat warm helicopter as the passenger opened his eyes to look at the white mountaintop. The passenger reached out with his fingerless gloves and grabbed the sides of the door. He rocked back before he launched himself forward with a yell.

Mac watched his passenger dive into a spin like a reverse top and shook his head. "Kids are crazy these days, but you take the cake."

The thrill seeker flipped forward and landed board first on the side of the mountain. Gravity already had him in its grip, but he planned to use it to his advantage.

With a wide grin on his face, and a classic remix in his ear, the passenger hit a relatively small portion of snow that he jumped off of. For a second and a half, the thrill seeker had a prime view of his descent, and with elation in his voice, he cried out: "Mount Foraker meet the Maelstrom of Swirling Whirlpools!"

The bottom of his board slammed back down into the mountainside and white powder exploded upwards as Newton's law said it would. Naruto Uzumaki continued to grin as Run-DMC's remixed track played in his ear. He crouched down and turned to the left.

"Let's put a spin on things," Naruto said to himself as he came to another edge. Once more than half his board was off, Naruto pushed and pulled his legs up to jump. The coiled position he put himself in was released, which resulted in a perfect three hundred and sixty spin that done simultaneously with his backflip. Naruto grinned as powder shot up at his landing once again.

"Nailed it!"

A fallen tree got Naruto's attention and he shifted in that direction. From where he was – ten seconds away from running into the tree – he could see that too many branches remained, but it would otherwise make for a perfect rail/jump. Naruto looked around – eight seconds – and determined he was clear of being watched. Five seconds until he hit the tree – Naruto held his right hand out as he coasted down the side of the mountain.

A stream of frozen wind shot from his palm and rushed at the tree. Branches that previously obscured him were knocked out of the way. Naruto smirked for a moment until he remembered something – he was two seconds away from the tree.

Mount Foraker didn't _have_ trees this far up.

A second to impact and Naruto turned his hips to make his board horizontal in an effort to brake. Something didn't add up, and when something didn't add up, usually it spelt trouble for the thrill seeker.

The tree exploded upwards thanks in part to a hairy arm that was nearly as long as Naruto was tall, six feet and bulging with muscle. Naruto was grabbed by another arm, a hand equally twice the size of his head grabbed him by the torso.

"Ha! Told Marrow that I catch Halfling on mountaintop!" The giant exclaimed in broken English. Naruto grimaced as the smell of the giant's breath hit his nose.

"Damn, man, you need a Tic-Tac or something! Because your breath stinks!"

The giant glared at him, two ugly whitish brown eyes filled with loathing. "Halfling shut up! I eat you, Halfling, no care if breath stink!"

"Apparently you also don't care if your grammar is goodly," Naruto grumbled. He glared behind his orange tinted goggles at the giant. "If you're going to do something, do it fast. I'm on a schedule. I've got to train for the race tomorrow!"

"Race? No race for Halfling! Slug eat you!" the giant, Slug, said as he shook Naruto in his grip. Slug smirked as Naruto let out a mild groan, then sniffed the blond. "Hm. Minty. Who parent you, Halfling?"

Naruto smirked at the giant. "Come closer and I'll whisper it to you."

Slug frowned and brought Naruto up to his ear. "Tell Slug who parent you, Halfling!"

"My godly parent's name is..." Naruto took in a deep breath and then blew sharply into Slug's ear. Several sharp shards of ice traveled at wicked speeds through one ear and didn't go out. Slug's eyes rolled into his head and his grip went slack.

Naruto pressed the SX Button in his glove and his snowboard detached as he dropped to the ground. Naruto grabbed the edge of his board and landed feet first on the mountainside in a spin. As he completed his turn, Naruto caught sight of Slug's now frozen from the inside out head and his smirk widened.

"Nonya Bizness!" Naruto finished his earlier statement as he released his board, which flew at the giant's head and shattered it on impact. Naruto jumped back and caught the board in his hand before he dropped it to his side. He watched the giant dissolve in satisfaction before he stepped back onto his board and resumed his trip down the mountain.

_Man, Ogres just continue to get dumber with each mountain I visit._ Naruto thought to himself. He jumped another ledge and again pressed the SX Button at the same time that he leaned down to put his hand on the insides of his feet. Naruto brought his legs up and around in a b-boy's flare several times. On the fifth flare, Naruto pushed himself up and slammed his boots back into their slots just as the board touched the mountainside. He wobbled for a second before he continued his trek down the mountain.

"Sloppy." Naruto frowned as he lost some speed with that move. He'd have to figure a way to keep his momentum. As he descended past his landing point, Naruto turned around and held his left hand up in the direction. A layer of ice later and Naruto grinned. "I'll just have to focus on not landing too hard."

Naruto crouched down to gain more speed and let his left hand dip into the snow. The result was a hard bank to the left, which put him back on the original track prior to his decision to grind the giant. Naruto leaned right to straighten himself out and considered the approaching cliff.

_Hm, should I hit a held Bar Hop or go for the Hand in Hand?_ Naruto mused without a care in the world while he raced down. He jumped onto a thick beam placed by the tour and gained a bit more speed with a grind. _Four seconds to make a choice. Eh, bucket. Let's go over the edge Hand in Hand!_

"_It's tr-tr-tricky!_" The remix in Naruto's ears finished as he went over the edge of the cliff. Naruto leaned left and grabbed the edge of his board with his hand. His other hand activated the SX Button in his glove and detached the board from his feet. Naruto jumped off his board so that it would spin in front of him as he turned his body to face the incoming mountainside. Once he was facing the mountain, Naruto's hands shot out and grabbed onto the board while his feet planted themselves on the snow-covered bottom, the boot clips facing the mountain. Naruto kicked his feet up and down and his board spun like a DJ's record. Before he hit the ground, Naruto flipped his board and slipped his feet back into position.

Snow shot up as Naruto landed near flawlessly, as close as anyone could get with physics working against you, and he grinned. That would net him a bronze medal alone in the Trick scoring. Now all he had to do was make it down the slope without issue, simple enough. All he had to do was offer one of his old trophies to his mom.

He loved being a demigod.

* * *

**AN: Yeah, it's short, but not every one-shot in this series was going to be ten thousand words. I honestly thought this was a fun scene and scenario, and frankly it stands alone very well. But I'm biased, so I'll have to wait to hear from you guys.  
**

**Tell me what you thought and maybe I'll continue the adventures of Khione's son.**

**REVIEW!**


	11. Dead Inc

**AN: Did I say 'Demeter' next? Oops. From now on, no more promises! That way I can't break them.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Dead Inc.**

* * *

Soft rock played from the speakers of a small tattoo parlor on the beach. The sound of a needle marking skin overplayed the soft rock. Blue eyes snapped open and a hiss escaped the owner's mouth.

"Ah. Geez, Keebs, can't you be a little more gentle?"

The tattooing artist leaned back, the overhead light reflecting off of two red triangles tattooed on either cheek. His eyes were brown and looked very amused. "Gentle? You want _me_ to be gentle as I permanently carve an image into your skin?"

"...Point taken." The client readjusted himself and let his head tilt back. "Hit me with your best shot."

"You got it." The artist leaned in and pressed a hand down on the exposed pectoral as he got back to work. The client hissed as the needle broke his skin, feeling the image being carefully drawn out was painful.

_Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around. Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around._

The artist leaned back, visibly upset, and turned his needle off. "Goddammit, Naruto! I told you, turn your phone off when I'm inking you!"

"Hey, this is a call I can't ever miss," Naruto said as he sat up and grabbed his phone from the table, only to wince and lie back down. "Oh! Gods, that hurts!"

"I'm carving eight letters into your rectus abdominis, of course it's going to hurt stupid." The artist snorted. He set the needle aside and peeled off his gloves. "Lay back, answer your phone, and I'll get something to cover that up so it doesn't get ruined or infected."

"Thanks Kiba," Naruto said with a grunt as he grabbed his phone and answered it. "Sup?"

There was a frustrated sigh. "_Do I want to know where you are?_"

"I'm just hanging out with Kiba, Dad," Naruto said. He muffled a yelp when Kiba came back in and slapped something on his abs. A glare was sent at the amused dog fanatic.

"_The Roman legacy of Apollo?_"

"For the last time, he ain't my ancestor. It's Aesculapius," Kiba grumbled as he placed another patch on Naruto's stomach.

Naruto rolled his eyes and answered the question. "Yes, the legacy."

"_Ah, yes. Anyway. I've got another duty for you._"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Details."

"_You need to come here for that, Naruto. You know that._"

Naruto took a deep breath. "Is di Angelo still there?"

"_No. Nico has gone out again in an attempt to...find his sister_."

"I'll be there in five." Naruto pulled the phone away and hung up. He looked at the amused legacy. "Have I ever told you that I am _so_ jealous you are a Roman and _don't_ have contact with the gods?"

"Yeah, but being the younger sibling is tough. I'd rather work directly for a god than have to deal with my sister, but that's life." Kiba shrugged. "I still got some more ink to do, so come back when you're done."

Naruto poked at his covered abdominals and grimaced. "Yeah. Can't go running around with T-A-R-T-A-R carved into my abs. It doesn't look as good as Tartarus."

"You do like tartar sauce though," Kiba pointed out with a smirk.

Naruto dryly laughed at him and grabbed his shirt from the table. "Funny. I'll be back in an hour to finish up."

"Whatever, dude. I'm going to take Akamaru for a walk." Kiba tossed a ring of keys to the blond. "I'll have it locked, so..."

"Yeah, I got it," Naruto said as he caught the keys. He went over to a shadowed portion of the room and twirled the keys around his finger. "Later Keebs."

He vanished into the shadows like he was never there in the first place.

* * *

Naruto walked out of the shadows into the hallway that led to Hades' throne room in the underworld. Naruto waved at one of the skeletal US soldiers wielding a rocket launcher as he approached the door. "Hey, Connors. Working hard?"

The dead man didn't react.

"Well, keep a stiff upper lip, chum. I'm sure something exciting will happen sooner or later. I'm here on request, so..." Naruto gave the skeleton a look. The skeletal soldier continued to stare blankly into the distance. The blond rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "You guys are seriously no fun anymore. Master Sergeant John Connor, I am the son of Hades and you _will_ open this door."

The skeleton turned and grabbed a handle, pulling it open and making Naruto shake his head as he walked into the throne room. He grimaced when he saw that the queen's throne was unoccupied. Great, Hades was going to be moody.

Again.

"Naruto." The Lord of the Underworld greeted with a nod. He was dressed in his usual robes that seemed to have souls wishing to escape from them. The opal wedding ring on his finger gleamed sadly, as though reflecting the god's emotions concerning the absence of his wife. Another observation made Naruto's eyebrow shoot up.

"Your ring is gone."

Hades' dark eyes looked down to where the silver skull ring once rested. "Yes. I gave it to Nico di Angelo."

"Wow, and all I got was a free trip to California's finest schools when my mother died at the claws of the Chimera. Remind me why I couldn't go kill that thing when Zeus stupidly let it out to _live_ after it _failed_ to kill my little cousin?" Naruto asked tightly.

"Grudge, Naruto. Your grudge." Hades chided. He sat back and watched Naruto shift uncomfortably where he stood. "And on that note, why are you dressed like you just came from the beach? I thought you were with the Roman."

"On the beach. Not every Roman is at the boot camp," Naruto said. He looked down at his black tank top, orange board shorts and dark Nike flip-flops. Then he looked back up at Hades. "Is something wrong with my look?"

"It's much...looser than what you usually wear." Hades pursed his lips. "You're not doing drugs again are you?"

"...There's a reason you rule the dead and not the living," Naruto said dryly. He crossed his arms over his chest and Hades continued to stare at him. Naruto groaned. "Oh, for the love of – it was one time in college! _One_ time!"

"Many of my current underlings have abused substances _one_ time, Naruto. Look at where they are now," Hades said pointedly.

"Would you just tell me about the death I have to cover up that the Mist can't?" Naruto asked. He hated talking about drugs with Hades, ever since the first accidental overdose by one of his children, any sign of drug use made the god into a mother hen, so Naruto learned from his deceased half-siblings when he spoke with them. The Lord of the Underworld loved way too hard for someone that was supposed to be cold and merciless.

Hades sighed and waved his hand, making a shadow rise up into a screen. An image appeared on it, one of a little boy with grey eyes. "A son of Athena. He, his father and stepmother were killed in Forks, Washington. It was rather gruesome."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Naruto grimaced. He hated working on some of these cases. "They pass through all right?"

"Harmlessly. Clean slates, the three of them. A rare thing, but they hadn't done enough good to get to Elysium. The Fields of Asphodel is where they wound up," Hades said, a bit depressed at his new underlings' unfortunate story. "I certainly didn't send anything after them, but things are getting...rowdy down here."

"Trouble at home?" Naruto asked. He couldn't help it, he knew that some shit was going down, and he knew it all started two years ago when Poseidon revealed he had a son. If only he wasn't on Spring Break at the time, he'd like to have been here when the kid came by. ...Then again, there were the twins he met...perhaps it's for the best he had gone down to Florida.

"There are many things causing Olympus grief. This does not need to be one of them." Hades looked at his son. "Find an animal to blame, then find the monster that did this. I want it back here to explain itself."

"Time limit?"

"You'll have a day to deal with the problem, that's all I could get out of Hecate." Hades grimaced.

Naruto arched a brow. "Still on the edge?"

"Yes, and she's teetering away," Hades said sourly. "If she turns against Olympus, it'll be likely that she'll side against me."

Naruto frowned for his father. He knew what it was like for a friend, someone you trusted, to turn against you. And Hades didn't have a lot of friends or trustworthy people, which was why he was so protective of his children and Persephone.

"Well, try to be optimistic and understand why she's turning against Olympus. Maybe if you can talk her out of it or something...Without trying to trick her." Naruto added as an afterthought. Hades seemed to contemplate his advice and Naruto took that as his signal to leave. He was stopped when the Lord of the Underworld said his name.

"Naruto, after you conceal the crime I want you find the creature that caused this...and show them the same mercy any other man would."

"...So, no mercy whatsoever?" Naruto asked, a small smirk on his face.

"If that is what you perceive to be the mercy of other men," Hades said.

Naruto grimaced. This was another test. Hades was fond of giving small tests to his children, to see what they would do with his backing. Hitler passed a few, surprisingly, but failed more as his grudge took hold of him. Naruto turned and left Hades' throne room, his eyes hard and determined.

He had a murderer to frame.

But first, he had to change.

The State of Washington was chilly this time of year.

* * *

"_Are you serious!?_" Kiba's angry voice rang through the device in Naruto's hand as the blond made his way down through the streets of Forks. Naruto now wore a black leather jacket with an orange band around the left arm and an orange stripe down the right over a _Clockwork Orange_ poster-shirt. Boot cut blue jeans held up by a studded belt fell down to steel-tipped boots.

"Yeah, we'll have to finish the ink tomorrow," Naruto said into his cellphone as he walked through the woods of the small town. He, unlike other demigods, was not as at risk of being attacked by monsters for using technology. Mostly because his existence was not exactly shared with the rest of the Olympians, but that was a story for another time. Naruto shifted his phone from one hand to the other and adjusted his leather jacket, all the while, looking around at the people with distrust on his face.

This town was full of rather chipper people despite the deaths that took place. And, for some reason, Naruto felt as though he were being watched constantly. Granted, he was a bit paranoid – it was in the blood, just ask his uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather – but the feeling he had was definitely not his paranoia acting up. It was legit.

Kiba tisked. "_That sucks. Now I have to worry about you spreading bad rumors concerning my art._"

"Oh, I promise I'll only show the cute girls," Naruto said nonchalantly while he adjusted his jacket and grimaced as it started to rain. He hated the rain. It was so gloomy, and he really got enough of that when he dealt with his father.

"_You're the biggest of assholes._"

"Not true, I'm pretty sure that title belongs to the elephants of Africa." Naruto stepped out of the way of a pasty-skinned pretty boy and his girlfriend (who Naruto saw as an 'average' girl, maybe a six out of ten if she tried) as they walked down the street together. They didn't look at where they walked and just stared into each other's eyes. Naruto gagged. "That was disgusting."

"_What was?_"

"This dude and his girlfriend. Arrows of Cupid hit them both hard or something...they were just staring at each other as they walked down the street." Naruto shuddered. It was like that time he visited his father for Christmas when he was ten and was still in the 'girls are gross' stage. Seeing the way Hades and Persephone looked at each other then made him gag.

"_Sounds like something out of my ro-My _sister's_ romance novels._"

Naruto blinked as he thought about what Kiba just said. He smirked. "Your _sister's_ novels, huh? Should I ask Hana about _her_ collection when I ask her out?"

"_Stay. Away. From. Hana._"

"You can't make me." Naruto smirked. "Hana's a big girl and I'm a _big_ boy. Last I heard, she likes 'em big."

"_I will ink you in your sleep!_"

Naruto laughed. "Talk to you later, Kiba. Tell Hana to expect a call soon."

"_YOU MOTHERFUC-!_" Naruto hung the phone up and he could've sworn that he heard a faint howl of anguish come from the south.

No, wait, that was an actual howl. Naruto frowned, that wasn't a good sign. He looked up as rain began to fall and grimaced. He had to hurry and get to the crime scene so he could get a potential target to frame.

* * *

There weren't a lot of options in the long run.

The first thing Naruto had done was find the nearest, sleaziest rich man in the state, plant a few 'trophies' he'd forged and/or stolen from the damned under his father's thumb, and then he had to, for lack of a better term, force a suicide. Call it murder, but there'd be no trial or jury after him. Naruto would be back in California faster than Apollo could get to Tibet, finishing off his body art and then – hopefully – getting to home base with Kiba's hot sister, all while police would just discover the corpse of his chosen scapegoat.

_I wonder if asking about her favorite position during dinner would be considered in bad taste?_ Naruto absently thought as he tightened the noose around the neck, and then tossed the other end of the rope over a banister. He pulled on the rope and lifted his target off of the ground by a good foot or so. He'd not even bothered to ask the man's name, having already forgotten it once he learned how filthy rich the man was. Really, it was almost a _sin_.

And Naruto didn't even believe in the Seven Sins!

Well, except for Greed.

And Lust.

And Gluttony.

And–

_Hm, on second thought, I guess I do believe in them._ Naruto thought as he pulled the rope tighter, a look of nonchalance on his face as he casually strangled a man to death. Since his existence as Hades' son was considered 'secret', he was exempt from being tried as a murderer.

_Like Apollo and Aphrodite don't already know I exist, please. I'm sure the Dove has already sorted out my love life._ Naruto pushed his away the desk his target was struggling to get to with his foot. He scowled at the back of the middle-aged billionaire's head._ Man, my arm is starting to get tired. Why the hell aren't you dead yet?_

Naruto was more than aware how twisted it was that he was so blasé about killing someone. One must understand though, in his eyes, this was just another job. In a way, he was doing this for his thunder-pants of an uncle. The thought of the 'Bolt-Farter' as his father called the King of Olympus made Naruto snort. Talk about the definition of 'hypocrisy'.

Zeus was _so_ sure he knew what was right for everyone. Yes, well, wisdom was good an all, but having wisdom doesn't automatically make you _wise_. After all, only fools call themselves wise. It is those who say they know nothing, but are willing to learn, that are truly wise. No wise god would let the Chimera, a creature that was insanely hard to kill, roam free after it _failed_ to do the job it was contracted to do.

Naruto was torn away from his grudge-focused thoughts when he felt his target go limp. The blond stared at the body for a moment, letting it hang for a moment, before he sighed. That took much longer than he'd thought it would. Naruto grabbed a stool and moved it to stand next to the body, tying off the rope and then cutting it to an appropriate length. He then looked around the room, ignoring the lightly rotating body as it hung from the rafter.

"Well, better clean this up." Naruto muttered to himself. He jumped down from the stool and set about staging the scene. Then, with careful practice and abusing his powers over the dead, Naruto forged a suicide note with the aide of the freshly deceased. Before the spirit could complain, Naruto banished him back to Charon's waiting room once the letter was done and read it over. "...Your name was A. L. Davis? Oh, dude, I just did you a friggin favor."

* * *

With the frame job done, only one thing kept Naruto from returning to the Golden State and that would be the monster that caused this whole mess. Easy enough. He was no Hunter of Artemis – the whole having a penis thing would've made that a bit difficult – but he wasn't a slouch. Hades was the Lord of the Underworld, and monsters resided within, so naturally, Hades had a _very_ miniscule grasp over the beasts and nightmares that made demigods afraid of the dark. It was enough of a grasp that a little, not a voice, but almost a sixth sense or a radar was present within the back of the blond demigod's head.

Following it led Naruto deep into the woods of Washington, deep enough that if he fell against this monster, only his father or one of his father's servants would be able to claim his body. However, that wasn't going to happen for two reasons. The first, and most obvious reason, was that Naruto was a teenager. Almost twenty, a rarity among Greek demigods in this day and age. Especially considering he was a son of Hades, which meant, for those unaware, that his scent was _very_ potent, and not in a good way.

The second reason was that Naruto was an expert, not a master though he may claim to be to instill wary into his foes, when it came to using Shadow Travel. He could venture to other continents on a whim, but generally chose not to because he usually forgot his passport and a luggage bag to throw off mortals. (Fun fact: The farthest Naruto had ventured was to Antarctica, and that was merely to settle a bet that: "Yes! Penguins are dangerous!" That Bitch-avian or whatever his name was learned that the hard way.)

To add to Naruto's repertoire, he had a magical pouch of throwing knives given to him by his second ex-girlfriend. (A daughter of Hermes who was felled by a cannibal giant that had found his scent on her to be intoxicating. A shame too, Naruto had truly liked her.) The knives would return to the pouch seconds after being tossed, so it was an infinite ammunition and a close range weapon. Naruto trained hard, day and night, until he was able to pin the wings of a fly to the wall and disarm those armed with broadswords. What was once a trick in films was now something Naruto could do with his eyes closed or a hand tied behind his back.

So, with his skillset, it could be said that Naruto had confidence that he'd not die that day. That did not mean he did not have his guard up. No, far from it. If anything, his guard was as firm as the walls of Troy against Greece's initial assault.

Prior to the use of the Trojan horse, that is.

That wariness only rose as Naruto felt his inner radar go off the charts, his heart beat steadily rose as a wet, muted rip and a hard snap echoed in the woods. The sound of flesh being torn and bone being broken was not new for the son of Hades, but it was unsettling to say the least to hear the noise so far from the Fields of Punishment. Naruto passed a tree and found the source of the noise.

Seated in the nude over the corpse of a modern-day hunter – the remains of camouflaged clothes under an orange vest and a rifle discarded off to the side made that deduction 'elementary' – was a humanoid figure. It was thin, like a skeleton, but the limbs were too long and the purple skin that was present was taut, almost as if the figure had been starved. Naruto narrowed his eyes, he'd heard of this creature from the folklore of the few spirits of Native Americans that still roamed the earth, seeking to defend their descendants and man from the evils of beyond.

The Wendigo. A creature that was once human who gave themself over to cannibalism, sacrificing their soul and replacing it with an endless hunger. A part Naruto would've preferred it to be a werewolf, because then he would've felt at least a bit guilty for the punishment.

Now?

Naruto gently unsnapped the lid over his throwing knives' holster and slowly drew one knife. The sharp edge of the blade gently scraped against the side of the container in his haste to hurry the draw of his weapon, and Naruto bit back a curse. The Wendigo's ear twitched and its voracious feeding stopped as it looked up from its meal.

Naruto went still, his hand tight around his blade and his gaze focused on the tree beyond the creature, so it remained in his peripheral sight, but was not directly in his gaze. The Wendigo hunted by motion and sound. It could hear the sound of a pounding heart, so Naruto's priority was to keep calm. The lanky figure in the corner of his vision, that his brain registered as present but did not focus on, slowly turned and released a raspy roar, akin to a shriek. It rose, towering over him at a whopping nine feet, with the remains of a partially eaten human leg in its grasp. Naruto watched it move from the corner of his eye, quick and erratic, like it was jittery.

_Must be part of the always being hungry thing,_ Naruto mused. He waited patiently for it to settle back down and return to its meal. Once he was sure that its attention was off of him, Naruto resumed preparing for the quick kill. Skilled though he may be, Wendigo were notoriously _hard_ to kill in a fight, even one-on-one, and the best way to kill them was to surprise them. The only reason they had remained so low in number was the taboo on cannibalism that had predated the gods' venture west. It was one of the reasons Hades' admitted to approve of the Native Americans' spiritual beliefs. Naruto narrowed his eyes and focused on the visible spinal chord at the base of the monster's skull. That was arguably the weakest point any monster had.

After all, it can't eat you if it doesn't have a head.

Just before Naruto could throw his knife, his phone began to ring, a techno-pop beat muted slightly by his jeans and Eric Prydz' high pitch repeating: _Call on me-e-e, call on me!_

_Shit!_ Naruto thought as he quickly went through with his throw just as the Wendigo turned to snarl at him, flesh dangling from its many two-inch long, crooked and sharpened yellow teeth. The knife flew through the cannibalistic monster's gaping mouth and imbedded in the tree behind it with a _thunk_.

Naruto quickly pulled out another two knives, one for each hand and watched the Wendigo warily as it stayed in place, stuck mid-snarl. Then, it slowly dissolved into golden dust and Naruto relaxed. He let his shoulders fall and dropped his knives as he slumped against the nearest tree. His heart was _racing_. That damn phone...Naruto grit his teeth and angrily dug the device from his pocket. A check on the side and he saw that yes, _he'd_ set it to silent and do not disturb. The only way it could've been overridden was by someone of the divine sort-

"A fine ass _and _fine aim! Can't believe you almost didn't even give the poor thing a chance. Still, at least you lived, not bad."

The source of the compliment was a young woman that looked like she was in her late teens or early twenties. She had skin that was so pale it was almost white, but with the same bluish tint that could be found on the lips of the dead. Her hair was jet black and fell to her shoulders. She wore tight black leather pants that were kept around her waist by a chain belt and a black long sleeve shirt with a smiling Boo from the game _Super Mario Bros. 3_ embellished and brought attention to her ample bust.

The features that stood out most to Naruto were her eyes. Sclerae that were black as the void itself with pupils that shined like gold stared at his undoubtedly annoyed deep ocean blues. Lips colored black were set in a coy smile that sent off all sorts of alarms in the back of Naruto's mind, both those for good and bad situations.

"Melinoe." Naruto greeted the goddess curtly, his mouth set in a small frown. The ghost goddess' smile widened slightly and she slipped the phone in her hand back into her front pocket.

"Aw, don't be like that. I came all this way out here to watch you make some art!" Melinoe walked up to him and put a hand on his chest, a gleam in her eyes like those of a child's on Christmas morning. "And I _always_ appreciate fine art."

"...Don't you have some hostels to haunt?" Naruto asked, slightly uncomfortable. Slightly because Melinoe was the daughter of Hades, which made her his half-sister. And though he was half-Greek, he had not been raised to follow the 'Incest is Wincest' bandwagon that she'd grown with. However, there was that damnable little voice nagging at him in the back of his head, whispering encouragement: "She may be undead, but dem tits doe!"

..._I really need to stop surfing through Urban Dictionary in my spare time._ Naruto mused.

"You watch too many horror flicks," Melinoe said with a scoff. "_Everyone_ knows that institutions are the places to haunt."

"Of course, how could I be so dumb?" Naruto asked dryly.

"I'll let it slide, but it'll cost you a favor for that cheek of yours." Melinoe smiled up at him and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"W-what sort of favor?" He dared to ask. Naruto's eyes went wide when her hand trailed down to rest on his thigh. Melinoe licked her lips and leaned up against him, her smile resembling that of a jack-o-lantern's on Halloween night.

* * *

Naruto's eyes cracked open and he sat up to yawn. As he stretched, he examined his surroundings, realizing quickly that he was once more in his room. The walls were covered by posters of cult horror films such as _Evil Dead, The Thing, Dead-Alive, Return of the Living Dead,_ and of course, the two _Dawn of the Dead_ posters. The 1978 variant hung over the window just as the 2004 was, both in frames and both signed by the mortal lord of the undead, George A. Romero. Knick-knacks and collectable horror toys litters shelves, and clothes were strewn throughout the room. His orange and navy blue bedding was littered with sweat, a few bloodstains – those'd have to be cleaned up as soon as possible – and various toys that belonged to his 'after-hours' job.

There was a light moan and Naruto turned to the source. He found Melinoe, resting like she were mortal, just as nude as he was, and with something wrapped around her neck. A second glance made Naruto realize it was his belt. The sight of the red line beneath it, as well as the used and discarded prophylactic that rest between them sobered Naruto up faster than any shower or pot of coffee ever could.

_Well,_ he thought as he rose the bed and went to the bathroom. _This'll definitely be omitted from the report._ _The last thing I want is for Dad to marry me to my sister in unholy matrimony._

* * *

**REVIEW!**


	12. Fils de l'Amour: Phoebe's One Off

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_** or **_**Percy Jackson and the Olympians**_**/**_**Heroes of Olympus**_

**Fils de l'Amour: Phoebe's One-Off**

* * *

Konohagakure no Sato was many things. It claimed the sole right as being the first hidden village. It was a place of idealistic peace, a refuge, even in times of war. It was notoriously home to the strongest shinobi on the planet. It was the birthplace of the Will of Fire.

And currently – as most Konoha natives were eager and very proud to point out – had the right to claim its ruler, the Nanadaime Hokage, was arguably the most powerful man on the planet.

The Genin who'd rallied Allied Shinobi Forces against a madman who, in another life, would've been one to teach him in his father's stead. The Jinchuriki who befriended a creature most thought a mindless demon. The Mortal who'd fought – and _won_ \- against the Greek God of Heroes and Strength. The Demigod who held off the primordial of the Earth to buy time for the Olympians' heroes – which was only possible with the aid of his best friend, he never hesitated to add.

Hero of Olympus; Son of Aphrodite; Legacy of the Yellow Flash; The Boy of Miracles; The Sage of Mt. Myōboku; The Orange Hokage (yes, he'd even managed to get that one in people's heads); the list of his epithets was nearly endless.

Naruto Uzumaki, the name resonated hope and always brought smiles to faces – _unless_ you were a sore loser or forbidden challenger, such as a beach-bombed Hercules or a certain God of War.

The boy had long since grown into a man, his rounded jaw seemed harder, his features more masculine, his unruly blond hair cut short and his whisker marks seemed faint or at least not as prominent. His was frame tall and lean, hidden beneath an orange jacket with black rings around the cuffs. The hat he so coveted as a child was set to the side of his desk, placed atop a stack of paperwork. His right hand, bandaged from the fingertips to the elbow, set down the pen that rested within. His left, a healthy rosy-peach like the rest of his skin, set down the report from the border patrol. They came together and intertwined thoughtfully.

"...Did I do something wrong, Senshi-hime?"

He blinked his tired and slightly overworked blue eyes at his wife of nearly a decade, who stood across from his desk, across from him, with a look on her face. It was a look that no man wished to be on the receiving end of. She seemed to take a moment to think before she spoke, less than a second really, and his damnable ADHD chose that moment to kick in.

Her skin, bordering from tanned to a light natural bronze, glistened under the natural light that filtered into the room and her hair, dark as the night sky in Konoha, was pulled into a practical, but still stunning, ponytail. Her beautiful face, still deceivingly angular and sharp, had been marred with a frown. The loving brown eyes he used to stare into for hours on end were now upon him like an eagle's – _Like Miu's_, he thought sadly as he recalled his deceased companion – would be on prey. She was dressed simply, but still managed to look breathtaking in her grey sweatpants and royal purple hoodie with a golden SPQR down the left arm, a red Uzumaki swirl on the right shoulder, and what he presumed to be either just a black tank-top or a sports bra underneath. (If he were honest, Naruto would prefer the latter, but wouldn't complain over the former.)

"Your mother." Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano Uzumaki – damn did he love that she took his clan's name – said only those two words and Naruto knew he'd best create a few clones to finish his work. He was definitely in for another interesting day today, and that was more than welcome as an escape from his work.

"Did something happen?" Naruto asked once he had his doppelgängers in place. He led Reyna from the office, his arm around her shoulders. She slipped from his embrace once they ventured to the rooftop, standing at the barrier of the edge and overlooking the village she now called home.

Reyna took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes. "Your mother, as a goddess, has deep traits that are forever bound to your line, does she not?"

"...Well, yes, but so does yours." Naruto pointed out, still not understanding and very confused, but still kept his distance. Being married for nearly a decade, you learned to anticipate things from your spouse, but that didn't mean you couldn't still be surprised. Reyna could and _would_ try to castrate him if put in the right state of anger was one such surprise. Even if she was eight months pregnant.

That was a chase through the hospital he did _not_ wish to reenact...Again.

Sasuke _still_ gave him shit over it.

The bastard.

"But my mother did not split herself, imparting her essence into a newborn. She did not become a famed ninja, a powerful warrior that made a name for herself in a world war," Reyna said dryly. She pinned Naruto with another piercing look. "She did _not_ have certain vernacular traits that could pass through me to our son."

Bullets of sweat started to form upon Naruto's brow. That was the look she gave him after he went off to save Hinata and her sister Hanabi from the misguided third descendant of Kaguya. Apparently, he wasn't supposed to rush off like a hero after one of his friends', especially if said friend had a big crush on him.

That week on the couch sucked _balls_.

"Rey-hime, can you please just tell me what she did?" Naruto asked. Seriously if his mother was trying to stir trouble for him - again - just because she was bored, they were going to have words.

Charmspeak be damned.

"What does _Dattebane_ mean?"

...Wait, what?

"Dattebane?" Naruto asked with a brow arched in bewilderment.

"What. Does. It. Mean?" Reyna repeated firmly, her gaze still hard. It was so wrong that Naruto felt turned on by receiving her annoyed glare, really it was, but dammit she just had to look so hot when she glared at him like that, didn't she?

"Er, well, it doesn't really mean anything," he said and scratched his cheek with his finger. "It's, uh, it's just sort of a verbal tic, ttebayo."

"...Ah. So you _did_ inherit your tic."

_Damn right!_ He thought proudly. However his bewildered and confused look remained. Carefully, unsure whether his wife was still irritated with him, Naruto walked up behind her and engulfed her form with his own. His chin rested on her head and both overlooked the village together.

"What brought this question on?" He asked tentatively.

"Your son."

"Boruto?" The boy was named for Neji, the only close friend he lost during the war who'd given his life to defend him in a moment of weakness. That and it was really hard to find a name that fit the theme his parents had. Once he was revealed to his father's friends, the toddler had gotten a bronzed nut from his godfather alongside an imperial gold wrench. Naruto had to find a way to get Leo back for his gag gift. He was considering a scroll that promised Icha-Icha, but when opened, released a gallon of running water. It was retribution that was fully backed by Reyna, too.

Reyna had been struck by the wrench during a fit her son threw and had not taken kindly to its origins. Plus, Naruto was sure there were some lingering feelings about the elf-eared demigod. Unfortunately for Leo, none of them were positive and all of them stemmed from his 'mind controlled' actions.

"Yes." Reyna's voice broke Naruto from his scheming thoughts and he looked down at her when she looked up at him, a wry grin on her face. "He's apparently taken to saying the word 'Dattebasa', and has decided to use it rather interestingly in class."

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"The monkey believes that he's been using it in place of swears."

Pride like no other swelled within Naruto's chest and he laughed. "That's my boy, dattebayo!"

Most parents would be affronted by the suggestion, especially if they had the political standing or power that he did. Not Naruto. Naruto was not so quick to become a bitch for proper manners, for snobs and snooty people that felt that they were above him. Granted he didn't cuss people out left and right, but he didn't plaster a false smile onto his face and kiss ass either. He wasn't a politician - hell, he was hardly even a proper dictator!

He was a warrior.

He was a shinobi.

He was a demigod.

He was a hero.

But most importantly, at least to Naruto anyway, he was a _father_. Naruto managed to see his dream to fruition and even managed to start a family, his family.

His wife, a strong warrior in her own right and familiar with the struggle of leadership. Not to mention she wasn't too bad to look at either. She didn't take his crap but didn't give him crap either. The Will of Fire was strong in her, her love for her Camp never dwindled entirely, and her love for Konoha still baffled her former friends. Their love for each other was the only thing that surpassed their love for the village. Well, there may be another thing they loved more than the village.

_Their_ son. Naruto's hair graced his head, Reyna's cheekbones rested beneath his skin, two whiskers marked over either cheek, Naruto's father's eyes, Reyna's father's nose, and both of their mother's beauty combined was evident in the infant's face. Boruto was perfection, as any proud parent would say of their child. The first time Naruto had been offered to hold him, he was so scared he would screw up. That he would hurt the tiny baby.

It was a ridiculous fear, in hindsight, one that washed away as soon as his fingers brushed against the newborn's bundled form. Naruto knew he'd never do anything to harm the baby, intentionally or not. It was his son, his _child_, the proof that he essentially won any bets placed against him back when he was just 'the demon boy'.

Proof that Jinchuriki didn't have to suffer and live short loveless lives.

Proof that shinobi didn't have to fight needlessly in spite of the future, but that they needed to fight to protect it.

Proof that demigods could hope for better lives.

Proof that legends could have that happy ending.

Proof that life was well worth living despite the short time given.

That last thought gave the Nanadaime an idea that made his smile spread across his face.

"Hey," his voice was soft and his smile was mischievous, when Reyna looked at him. "What do you say we get out of here, pick up Boruto from school, and go home?"

"Don't you have things to do?" She asked, scrutinizing him with a look that would've made him rethink his plan any other day.

Not today.

"Kage Bunshin." He refuted. Reyna opened her mouth, closed it, and then gave him another wry smile.

"I really wish you weren't Greek."

Naruto grinned. His wife said that only when she was feeling really affectionate. He planted another soft kiss on her lips and, before he swept her off her feet to begin the rapid roof-hop to his son's preschool, he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too, dear."

* * *

**AN: Wow, yeah, so...Hello readers. Sorry about the long absence. March is...has been, still is...whatever; I have been paying attention to the Mass Effect Series. ...And enjoying the Irish month. Really, _really_ enjoying the Irish month. So yeah, sorry about that, by next month we get back to the stories many of you started with (*coughFilsdel'AmourcoughSunsHeirDeathsGuardiancough*).**

**And that reading I started for RWBY? That'll be updated shortly. Like, damn, that's a long chapter.**

**So yeah, there it is. Missed you guys, really, I did, but now y'all know what to do.**

**REVIEW!**


	13. Paladin

**AN: ...Yeah. Yeah, I'm back to this now. How's all three of you still following this doin? Good? Still members of Uncle Rick's bandwagon? Yeah? Read the latest release? I did. Day it came out. Loved it!**

**So...Yeah, no yeah...I'm **_**back**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_ or _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_. If I did, I wouldn't be on this site sadly.**

**Paladin**

* * *

The world officially ended when the body of a young man was found on the outskirts of the Jersey Shore. The official report was that the young man died while intoxicated, messing with some illegal fireworks on his boat. The theory settled the nerves of the department, but part of it sounded...outlandish. Bizarre.

Hell, even though it wasn't exactly the most 'P.C.' way to say it, it sounded flat-out _retarded_.

"He had the same residue on his fingers that could be found in fireworks. And it's summer, you know how some of these teenagers get."

The voice of reason belonged to one of two men seated in a white 2006 Dodge Charger, parked in an alleyway a few blocks from 1PP. He looked a little like a goateed Sam Rockwell, lanky and thin, only his nose was much wider than the actor's and his curly brown hair was pulled back into an unkempt dreadlock ponytail. He wore a brown suit with a red tie, his jacket folded behind his head and his badge on display from where it clipped to his belt and the butt of his issued handgun gleamed from the shoulder holsters it sat in. He stirred the straw of his Starbucks' Soy Latte and looked at the one seated behind the wheel.

"Didn't you ever cut loose and go wild when you were a kid?"

Electric blue eyes closed as a flash of memories flew through his head. Preparing for some sort of duty on a farm, wearing no more than a tunic. The eyes blinked open again and narrowed as the owner looked at the mirror.

A man in his mid twenties looked back, the hand scratching a blond beard that covered his not fully rounded, yet not entirely squared jaw dropping to grab the simple black coffee that was set in the cup holder. His hair had been cut short and still spiked about naturally, like a bolt of lightning or something had hit him when he was a child. He wore a grey Henley shirt with the top two buttons undone, his broad shoulders filling out nicely and his forearms on display for the passerby since the sleeves were rolled up. A belt held up dark Levi's and the latest Nikes covered his feet. His gun was on his hip and his badge hung from his neck by a simple chain.

The driver almost smirked; he and his partner were dressed like they stepped off of the set of a modern day 'buddy cop' movie. Instead he moved his coffee to his other hand, resting out the open window and looked at his partner.

"A kid that young is wasted on a freaking boat? With _illegal_ grade fireworks? Near the end of the summer? _Alone_? C'mon, Billy Goat, you and I both know that's a load of horse-shit."

Billy Goat, the nickname for his partner, was short for William G. Overtree, a detective in the New York Police Department just as the driver was. Both had entered into the police academy together just over six years ago, and both became detectives after their predecessors had botched a missing kid's case, misleading the media _and_ accidentally labeling the poor kid as a freaking _terrorist_, of all things. With the spots open for grab, Billy Goat and the driver worked their ass off for a year, closing unsolved cases and freshly opened ones with both diligence and determination.

"Maybe, but just let it be for now, okay, Naruto_-kun_?"

"I _will_ shoot you. Don't call me that." Naruto, or as he was legally named, Nathan Sparks, warned Billy with a frown. That damned nickname had been following him since he'd been caught reading that manga in the locker room. It didn't help that he'd had those stupid whisker marks on his face for as long as he could remember. The others at the station called him such, which was all right for the most part. At least he wasn't Wide Lode or Patty Rat. Those damn suffixes though, they got annoying as hell after a while.

"The chief's covering for someone again, I can feel it-"

He was cut off as a bright red car sped by. Naruto and Billy shared a look before they tossed their respective drinks out the windows of the car. Billy drew his seatbelt over his chest and clipped it into place while Naruto turned on the siren he'd had installed to his car. A shift of the gears and a press of the petal later and they were back on the job.

"Ten bucks says they're joyriders." Naruto offered with narrowed eyes as he followed the lawbreakers and tried to anticipate their turns. They were currently heading towards Fifth Street.

"Make it twenty. I say it's another old lady that just doesn't know how to turn her license in." Billy shot back as he grabbed the radio. "This is Badge Number L-4-N-N, we're in pursuit of a red ...what the hell is that?"

"A Chevy," Naruto said, focused. His eyes narrowed and sweat began to build on his brow as his adrenaline skyrocketed. Of all the times for his ADHD to kick in, his meds were supposed to repress it, dammit. He popped the top off of a small pill bottle he pulled from his pocket and dumped a single pill into his mouth. The letters on the Camaro's rear license plate began to rearrange and Naruto blinked his eyes furiously.

_The hell is E-N-Y-0-R-4-G-3 supposed to mean?_ He wondered once his vision returned to normal just after they passed the Empire State Building. He really had to reschedule an appointment with Dr. Paine (who admittedly had a terrible name considering how generous and kind he was during appointments). It was evident that he needed a larger dose of Adderall.

"Man, they're really booking it." Billy muttered. "Where do you think they're heading?"

"Not a clue," Naruto said as he took a sharp right and nearly crashed into someone in the intersection. "Jesus! Doesn't anyone use their ears anymore!?"

"Nope!" Billy bleated, which made Naruto do a double take. He scrutinized his partner with a confused look on his face. Was it him or was Billy's hair parting oddly in two places? He was pulled from his thoughts when his partner noticed the staring and grabbed the 'Oh-Shit' handle. "Stop staring at me and drive!"

"Right, sorry, meds wore off. Getting distracted." He apologized. Naruto blinked his eyes furiously as he returned his attention to the red car. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a hand on the driver side window stick out. An arm and then another arm, which then planted either hand on the side of the driver's door, immediately followed it.

A woman's torso popped out, clad in a blood red spaghetti strap top that hardly held her bust at bay. Naruto narrowed his eyes as the woman, her hair oily black and her eyes covered by wraparound sunglasses, turned to grin wildly at him. She pressed a hand to her lips and blew the pursuing officers an obnoxious kiss.

"Ballsy bitch," Naruto said with a frown. He didn't hear any witty jab or snide comment aimed at the woman and chanced another glance to his partner. What he saw made him extremely worried.

Billy was shaking in his seat. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates and bleats, bleats like a goat's bleats, came out of his mouth like childish whimpering. His skin had paled and the hair on his abnormally hairy arms seemed thicker.

"Billy! Snap out of i-!"

Naruto was cut off when a semi-truck ran headfirst into the his side of the car. Glass shattered and the two officers became ragdolls as the Dodge rolled. Naruto felt his arms, face, chest and legs get cut. His head smacked twice against the wheel and four times against Billy's. The airbags failed to go off and to make everything worse, the roll came to a stop with them upside down.

Naruto could only groan as his vision went dark. He heard frantic shouts and screams, but among that he could've sworn he heard a whisper.

"It figures that _you're_ the first casualty. Won't dear ol' Grampa be proud of me?"

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and found himself on a beach. He was sore, and his body was littered with cuts. A dull throb came from his left side, and blood leaked out onto the sands. The taste of saltwater in the air was muted by the metallic tang that layered his tongue and teeth. He felt something heavy on his head, arms, legs and torso, and there was something made of wood in his right hand.

"Commander! _Commander_!"

Weakly, he turned his head to look out towards the sound. Wreckage of wood, dwindling fires, and corpses littered the beach. Blue eyes washed over faces of the fallen and recognition flickered in the back of his mind. He knew them, but at the same time, had no idea who they were. A figure limped out from behind a large wooden obstruction, his right hand clutched tightly over the left arm that hung as dead as Naruto felt.

The lone soldier must've spotted him, because he hurried towards Naruto, stumbling and slipping in the sand. By the time he reached Naruto's side, his body was caked in sand, blood, and splinters. Dark orbs overlooked the damage and pulled the cloth from his arm to the wound on Naruto's side. Two thoughts immediately went through Naruto's head.

The first: _That _can't_ be sterile. Great, I'm going to die from infection._

And the second: _Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-_OW_! Pressure hurts!_

"Commander, thank-thank the gods. Your quick thinking saved my life." The grateful and medically hindered soldier said to him. Naruto wanted to tell the man that he had absolutely no idea what was going on and wanted to know where his partner was.

Instead, he said, "Boy, your name?"

"Ajax, son of Telamon," the young man said. He looked to the side and hope appeared in his eyes. "Rest easy, Commander! The others come! I will fetch them and you will be healed. Then we shall fight for Greece and gain glory in battle as the last of _The_ _Maelstrom_'s men!"

Naruto watched him rise and call over for assistance, words muting and sound becoming dull. The world flickered and shiny orbs danced around the beach. Part of Naruto wanted to call attention to them, to warn the soldiers that approached of their presence, but another wanted to continue staring, awestruck at their greenish glow. The colors of life drained and time seemed to slow slightly.

"Hear me," a deep, powerful voice rattled Naruto's already aching skull. "My pain is yours, and your pain is mine. This war is not one for men to fight, Commander. You are just tools."

"Who-Who speaks?" Naruto's voice was no stronger than a whisper. An ancient chuckle echoed around him and shivers went through Naruto's body either from fear or blood loss. The orbs danced closer and Naruto felt his weak heartbeat attempt to race.

"I've names that are as well known as my _sons'_...but names matter not. Life matters, Commander. You've a wife and son awaiting you in Ithaca. Don't you wish to see them once more? To hold your woman in your arms? To please her in bed again, and again, and again?"

Thoughts of times long passed flashed through Naruto's head. He wondered if any of them were his memories or just those of this 'dream', if this even was a dream. The name _Dia_ floated in his head, accompanied by the musical laughter of a woman that was associated with the image of a beauty with long, dark hair. The name slipped off of Naruto's tongue, out of his mouth, and he could _hear_ the voice's smile turn into a smirk.

"Yes, but if you die, she'll be taken by another. Loved by a lesser man. Touched in a way only _you_ should touch her!"

A faceless figure appeared beside Dia and she turned her attention to him. Naruto wanted to call her away, to face the man in combat and put him in the dirt, but a soothing, calming feeling of warmth washed over him. Images of this beloved Dia looking at another man with a smile that fully reached her eyes, one that was happy, one that was in love, one that was loved in return. A farm appeared in his mind, lands vast and far grander than what they had. A boy with his fair complexion worked the fields alongside this mysterious man, and then relaxed in the evening. Peace overcame the household.

The voice snarled.

"No...No! _Lies_! They are _lies_! Do not listen to them! _Live_, you damned fool! _Live_ and return to your beloved! Your son! Show any who try to steal them away your _might_! Make them fear your _power_!"

"Saon...Dia..." The words left his lips and Naruto felt a smile spread across his face. His eyes unwillingly but peacefully drifted shut, all whilst the ancient voice let out a furious roar that echoed in his head. The last thought he had prior to his return to slumber was sweet and heartfelt, from Naruto's outside opinion.

_As long as they are happy, then I am content._

* * *

Consciousness slowly reached out and pulled Naruto from his forced slumber.

At first, he didn't want to move, much like on those days off where he could just sleep in and turn off any concern for the city he might've had, difficult as it was. Then, the buzzing in his ear became too much and Naruto cracked his right eye open to find the source. The chain his badge hung from dangled in his sight. His arms, covered with cuts and glass, fell up (or was it down?) to touch the roof of the car. The sky had grown unnaturally dark outside. The buzzing continued as something reached out and grabbed his right shoulder. A pained groan escaped Naruto's lips and his cracked eye closed.

_That was one hell of a dream_, he thought. The blond felt his injured arm shaken and cracked his eye open again. The buzzing sound slowly cleared up into a familiar voice.

"-han...Nathan..._Naruto_! Wake up!" Billy's concern was heartwarming, really, but he needed to stop shaking his arm.

"Stop shaking me, Billy." Naruto weakly croaked. He blinked a few times and winced as he tried to move his hands. They were numb and heavy at first, but a few gentle finger flexes brought the feeling back. And the pain in his shoulders intensified. Naruto clenched his eyes shut and grimaced. "I think my shoulder's dislocated."

"Which one?" Billy asked.

"Both of them."

"They look fine to me."

Naruto turned and mustered up enough nerve to lock a glare onto his partner. The man was unbuckled and out of the upturned car, though an arm was hugging his left side and he was still on his knees. His hair had fallen out of its ponytail and Naruto noticed two locks that pointed up like horns.

Wait...

"Billy...Have you always had horns or are those just a hallucination from my concussion?"

Billy hesitated. That alone answered Naruto's question, which was intentionally a joke, but it raised more. _That_ was alarming.

"Yeah, hallucination. I'll radio for a medic and-" The radio Billy had just picked up sparked and broke into pieces in his hand. "...Or, you know, just...Hang tight...I'll get you out of there in a jiffy!"

Naruto just knew he had gained a violent twitch in his right eye. He just _knew_. Seriously, no one could be that bad with puns. No one.

Deciding to ignore the puns, Naruto waited for his partner to help him out of the predicament he was in. It didn't take long, although the fall from the mild suspension above ground to meet the roof of the car his hands touched hurt. And that was putting it mildly.

Pulled from the car, Billy propped Naruto up against the overturned vehicle, the blond officer's eyes shut as his blood slowly returned to its prior place throughout his body. It wasn't a pleasant experience, and Naruto didn't recommend it to anyone looking for an adrenaline rush. Hell, this adventure alone nearly made him swear off riding the Millennium Force or any other sort of roller coaster ever again.

When his senses became a bit clearer, Naruto looked at Billy, hallucinated horns and all.

"Do me a favor, Billy?"

"Yeah?"

Naruto closed his eyes and his lips curled into a sneer.

"Write down that bitch's license plate."

Billy's chuckle was akin to a booming belly laugh.

* * *

"So...How long were we out...do you think?" Naruto asked through labored breaths as he and Billy hobbled through Manhattan's streets. With their radio useless and little more than what they had on them, they figured that some passerby or the rare noteworthy samaritan of New York City would come by and give them assistance.

The chances of that, however, dropped with each step they took.

"Long enough for us to enter the Twilight Zone."

"...Okay, seriously, how _old_ are you?" Naruto asked.

"Fifty-nine." Billy's quick response made both start and come to a stop. Their eyes met, and Naruto felt his hand move for the piece that hung under Billy's armpit. "Er, Twenty-nine. Sorry, Freudian slip."

"Billy...We've been through a lot over the past six years. I can tell when you're trying to hide something." Naruto narrowed his eyes and undid the strap that kept the weapon in place under his partner's shoulders. "So tell me, before I let the best of my instincts take over...why do you have horns?"

"...Hallucination from your concussion?"

"Yeah, maybe fifteen minutes ago I would've bought that, but...they've been pretty prominent for a while now. Not changing in shape or size." Naruto moved so fast, his already protesting body protested even louder as he pulled Billy's own gun on him, and shoved the horned man into the nearest parked car. The handgun pressed into Billy's chest and Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Answers. Now."

"L-Look, Naruto, I'm just trying to-"

"Buddy, I was just flipped in my own goddamn car. I have the _worst_ migraine. I'm fairly certain multiple bones are broken and I have internal bleeding. Frankly, it's a _miracle_ that I haven't shot you yet. I'm gonna start counting to ten."

"Naruto, just listen man-" Billy grabbed the gun at Naruto's hip and pressed it into one of the open cuts in his side. Naruto hissed, but didn't relent in the slightest. "Let me go. _I'm_ going to count to ten. I'll explain everything once you see a doctor."

"Considering you're jabbing a gun into my wound, I'm gonna pass on that offer." Naruto pulled the hammer back with his thumb. "Five."

"Wh-You said ten!" Billy faltered.

"Situation changed." Naruto grumbled. "Four."

"Whoa, hold on man, let's not do anything we'll regret!"

"Three."

"Nathan, I've been your partner for six years!" Billy pleaded. Tears, or what looked like them, pricked at the corner of his eyes. The barrel digging into Naruto's cut trembled. "Don't make me do this."

"Have you? I don't know. I've been unconscious for the past few hours. Who's to say that you're the same guy I was in the car with?" Naruto grinned weakly, praying his bluff would pay off. He needed answers and he needed them now, something in his gut churned the wrong way, and it wasn't helping the current situation. "Maybe you're a green man from Mars. For all I know you're a devil come up from below to drag me down to Hell. Never been much of a religious man, but I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe this is limbo, or maybe it's _all_ a hallucination. End of the line, I got nothing to lose by shooting you. Except maybe my job, but you covered most of the slack on that anyway. Now where was I? Oh right. _Two_."

"Gods...dammit, Naruto." Billy closed his eyes. The gun lowered from Naruto's side and dropped from Billy's hand. "Okay...Di immortals, let's talk. Just...Just put the gun away."

"..." Naruto's thumb moved the hammer back up.

"Hey! There's another satyr!"

The two officers looked to the one that shouted, a kid, no older than fifteen. He, along with a few others stood down at the end of the street. They were all dressed in what looked like the armor worn in that movie _King of Sparta_. Swords and shields in their hands, one had a bow, and another had a large axe.

"Thank the gods, hey! You kids got a cell phone?! My partner needs an ambulance!" Billy called as he pushed himself out of Naruto's grip. He stumbled forward and waved at them. "He's also clear-sighted! Accident jarred whatever blocks were put on him."

"Kill the satyr, take the cop to Castellan."

"...Wait, what?"

It's strange, Naruto decided in hindsight, to see someone you were bluffing to kill die at another's hand. Billy had an arrow in his stomach before Naruto could fully register what the teenager said. Hell, Naruto was sure that it happened before Billy himself realized it. Billy took another two arrows before he fell. He hit the ground with labored breaths and an anguished, pained, angry yell rippled through the air.

"Billy!" Naruto was surprised when he recognized the yell as his own. He snapped out of the shock and lifted his partner's gun. The hammer was pulled back, a finger around the trigger tightened and the archer's head snapped back. The other kids seemed shocked, surprised even. Like they couldn't fathom that someone would shoot a gun at them.

Idiots.

It was sad how fast they dropped. Naruto's chest was heavy, his breathing hard, and tears fell like waterfalls from his eyes. He'd been rough a time or two while on the beat, took a few S.W.A.T. classes before and performed a few raids on drug houses. Never, though, never had he had to fire his sidearm on someone a decade or so younger than him. Never had he had shot to kill so ferociously, so relentlessly, mercilessly...or accurately.

At the moment, he didn't care about the five or so young bodies that lay dead in the center of the street. Running on whatever it was that had him moving as fast as he did, Naruto dropped to his knees next to Billy. The man was gone, eyes glazed over, stuck forever in an endless stare locked on the stormy sky.

"You dumb ol' Goat..." Naruto whispered, putting a hand on the corpse's chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and cried for his partner. "I wasn't going to kill you man...I wasn't...I swear...I swear to Christ...God dammit, Billy."

Then, as if things couldn't get any weirder, Naruto felt the body become lighter, smaller. A strong, pleasant scent filled the air. The body beneath his hand became intangible, Naruto nearly fell face first into the street. It became a bright golden dust before it swirled around, over the spot where Billy's head lay, and sunk into the ground.

A daffodil sprouted through the cement.

"...God...What the _fuck_...? What the _actual_ fuck!?" Naruto threw the gun in his other hand away, sending it clacking across the sidewalk. He grabbed at his head and fell forward, curled into a fetal position caused by fear, confusion, exhaustion, anger, and any other emotion that could be thought of, had been thought of or will be discovered. A yell filled with these emotions, incoherent though it was, escaped his throat.

Naruto reared back, his hands dragging down his face to form fists at his sides, and screamed with all his might at the cloudy, dreary sky.

"_WHAT_ _THE_ _FUCK_ _IS_ _GOING_ _ON_!?"

Although unexpected, the response wasn't surprising. Naruto was too caught up in his emotions to be caught off guard now. Too high on his adrenaline's adrenaline rush to be surprised by what lumbered its' way around the corner. With a giant mace in its hand and a massive round grey eye in the center of its forehead, a creature from the storybooks stomped into view.

"Meat!" The cyclops licked its lips and readied its World of Warcraft worthy toy above its head. "Need t' tenderize!"

"...You've..._Got_ to be shitting me." Naruto stared at the creature, almost frozen with disbelief. He was about ready to welcome the blow when he remembered his dream. _Dia_. The wonderful woman who'd somehow wormed her way into his dream-self's heart. She was waiting, somewhere, he could feel it. She was out there. Dia had answers.

"Hold still!" The mace was brought down with enough force to shatter the blacktop entirely, revealing the dirt that lay beneath it. Naruto moved in the split second before it came down. He dove for _his_ discarded gun, not Billy's gun on the sidewalk, no, that was empty. _His_ gun, the one that was dropped before Billy's murderers revealed themselves, was scooped into his hand with ease.

"Fuck you, lard ass." Naruto growled from his position on the ground. He unloaded the entire magazine into the one-eyed monster's face. Nine bullets. One target. Simple enough math.

Or so he thought.

Then again, in a _rational_ world, his math would be excessively accurate. In a _rational_ world, he and his partner would've already been taken to a hospital, given a few days leave, and meet up for beers and movies as bachelors were wont to do. In a _rational_ world, his partner-no, his best friend wouldn't have been killed by a bunch of teens, which would then send Naruto into a flying rage that resulted in their deaths.

Naruto forgot one simple thing: Ever since he woke up after his car wreck, rationality took its coat from the hanger, picked up its bag, and walked out the fucking front door without so much as a "Good-bye."

All nine of Naruto's bullets, all of which were large enough to seriously cause facial damage to the point dental records would be rendered nearly useless for identification, passed right through the monster's face like he was made of water.

_...Are you fucking shitting me?_ Naruto stared in disbelief while the cyclops blinked and then sneezed, as if it'd just been tickled with a feather. Then Naruto fought for air as a meaty hand seized him by the throat and lifted him off of the ground.

"Bad meat!" The cyclops glared at him and shook him a bit. "You no still! Meat no move!"

_Not going to be a problem in a few seconds..._ Naruto thought as he feebly struggled for air. His legs were weak and kicked, hoping to land a blow and maybe – Let's not lie, it was just a reactive gesture. Blue eyes began to roll upward as oxygen became harder and harder to obtain. Hope slowly climbed its way out the window. Acceptance began to turn the handle on the door in order to come in, but Stubbornness was doing its' best to hold the door shut.

_Not yet. _Two words that held so much meaning for Nathan "Naruto" Sparks. He never gave in during boot camp. He never stopped working on a case that'd already been closed if it rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't stop his pursuit unless some otherworldly force _made_ him stop.

Aegis.

...Where the hell did that come from?

Aegis.

_What is that? What even is that?_ His subconscious worked overtime while his consciousness focused on the whole 'AIR! NEED AIR!' scenario.

A-E-G-I-S.

Greek.

Myth.

Shield-No. _Weapon_.

_What _is_ that!?_ Naruto's subconscious roared furiously. His consciousness took a fraction of a fraction of a _fraction_ of a second to lend its help. The two halves of the same mind came up with a conclusion instantly. It was the key. His salvation. How? Why? What'd he have to do? Wish real hard? Pray to Jesus? Accept the unrelenting and murderous Chthulu as his one true dark lord and savior?

..._Fuck, man, I don't know I just live here._

Oh, once Naruto got out of this he was going to kick his own smart ass.

_Maybe..._ His subconscious began as Naruto's vision just started to blacken at the edge. _Maybe I have to say it. Like, like the Green Lantern oath. Fuck, Billy just turned into a flower! Anything's possible!_

"A-...A..." Naruto gasped out, his hands clawing furiously at the Cyclops' hand around his throat.

_Oh, right. Choking. That's a thing right now. Hey! Hey dipshit! Can you hear me?_

No. Dying.

_Yeah, yeah. Do that on your own time! Right now, you need to get your balls out of your purse, summon your inner Manhattanite, and pretend this fucker just cut you off in the express lane without his blinker on, threw trash onto the highway and did it all while he was yammering away on his cell phone!_

Goddamn...Naruto would later realize in hindsight that his subconscious, well...it was sort of badass. But he'd never admit it.

_You just did._

...Smartass.

_We gonna die bickering or what?!_

Naruto closed his eyes, mustered up as much energy as he could into saying the word. With a deep breath, the one that could potentially be his last, Naruto let his head roll back, and once more he shouted at the sky.

"AEGIS!"

...Well, as far as last words go, it's better than screaming 'Poop Train' or cussing at the top of your lungs. Nothing happened, and Naruto felt that maybe dying without shouting like an idiot at the sky would've probably been the better path to take.

Then, faintly, he heard it.

A sharp whistle, something rapidly cutting through the sky, swirling as it flew. Whatever it was collided with a loud _clang_ into the back of the Cyclops' head. The surprise attack from behind made the one-eyed monster release Naruto. The NYPD officer dropped to the ground and greedily sucked in air.

An object landed beside Naruto with a clatter. A large round shield with possibly the most _hideous_ thing plastered on it. Decorated with gold rings that drew attention to the _thing_ – Medulva? Megatron? Whatever, Naruto wasn't good at history – the shield was otherwise a unique shade of bronze.

"Ow! Head hurt!"

Oh right. The LARP-worthy Lardass was still walking around.

Time to rectify that.

Naruto wobbly rose to his feet, grabbing the edge of the shield as he did, and swayed from one side to the next. His blurry vision was just clear enough to make out the Cyclops' attention still on him. And, go figure, the mace had been lifted one more time.

"Yeah...No." Naruto used what remained of his strength to throw the shield like a

disc. What he would've liked to have seen was the sudden decapitation of the cyclops' head.

To be fair, Naruto would rather liked to have woken up from this fucked up nightmare, but he'll take what he can get.

In actuality, what Naruto got was a choppy toss that flew two feet in front of the cyclops' head, and bounced off the brick wall of the building beyond. The shield bounced back at the building behind him, shattering a window as it did.

Evidently...Captain America, he was not.

"Oh, come _on_." Naruto groaned as the Cyclops lifted its mace one more time. There was a faint clang, then another, and another, and then a crash. Naruto and the cyclops looked up to the window that the shield had bounded into to see it fly back out. It soared down from the window, still flying strong. Frankly, Naruto didn't think he threw it that hard. It bounced off of a light post and struck the corner of a building before it flew back towards them. It hit the rim of a car and rebounded right at the Cyclops.

That is when the monster's head was severed from its torso. The shield bounced one more time off of a building before it landed awkwardly at Naruto's feet, ugly _thing_ facing the street while the grip faced Naruto. The officer of the law looked between the shield, the decapitated and disintegrating monster, and back before he nodded.

"Okay. It's official." Naruto picked the shield up and settled it on his left arm. "It's either a massive dream...or it's the end of the world. Really hoping on the former, but banking on the latter."

That said, Naruto left the side street in hopes of getting back to his department, and maybe getting some answers.

Someone had to know what the fuck was going on.

* * *

During his walk, Naruto began to wonder just _where_ everyone was. It was like the city, for the first time since the Twin Towers fell, had taken the rest of the night off. Really, not one dog barked in the distance, there were absolutely no car horns blaring, hell there weren't any cars on the streets at all! How did they manage that!? That's _eight_ _million_ people (give or take a good _thousand_) who apparently unanimously decided: "Nah, not feeling NYC today. Let's go to Brazil or Canada or something."

There were usually thefts of grand scales, looting, or even low-key murders going on nonstop in the Big Apple. What, did Superman show up while he was unconscious and sweep up the streets?

Seriously though, if there was some sort of alien ship landing and he missed it, Naruto was going to be _severely_ pissed, and he was already in a bad mood.

These were the thoughts that ran rampant through Naruto's mind when he came across the oddest group of girl scouts he'd ever seen. Silver cloaks covered the girls that were no younger than ten and no older than fifteen. There were possibly fourteen, maybe less, in total, and they all had bows and arrows that were the same silver as their cloaks.

For the record, they did have clothes on under their cloaks, but Naruto just did not care enough about them when he saw the bows, quivers and arrows they aimed his way. He felt that the threat of being done in like Billy G. Overtree, may the beloved Goat of the ninth precinct forever pollinate in peace, was far more important than taking in the attires of a bunch of kids.

One of the girls, fifteen, give or take, with eyes a similar shade as his own, freckles across her face and spiky punk hair that resembled his blond mop when he let it grow out, stepped forward. Around her head was a tiara.

_...If this is one of those LARP things or whatever Tammy keeps trying to invite me to, I'm going on a mass murdering spree._ Naruto decided. Hey, it was either the end of the world or a dream, you are _not_ allowed to judge. Oh, wait. He had a shield on his arm. Did that mean he was already LARP-ing or whatever? ...Well, he did technically kill those kids...

"Where did you get that?" The tiara-wearing Girl Scout asked, a finger pointed at the shield on his arm.

_...Demanding little bitch, inn't she?_ Naruto thought. Well, it wasn't the first annoyance he had to deal with today. He lifted the shield towards her, and she averted her eyes to the rim, as if she couldn't handle staring at the ugly _thing_ that marred its center. Not that Naruto could blame her, but really, it wasn't that bad. He faintly recalled seeing something much worse somewhere along the line.

"It came to me after I called for it." Naruto said simply. "Shouted 'Aegis' and-Whoa!"

The shield on his arm folded in upon itself, becoming smaller and smaller until it became a bronzed Rolex GMT Master II. Somehow, Naruto knew, he just _knew_ it was a watch made for a pilot. And he'd never even been to an airport before, Hell, he avoided the damn things. He preferred to drive across the country to get from one place to another in his fixed up 1975 Volkswagen Bus with Zee – Wait, no, that's not right. He drove a 1939 Ford De Luxe Convertible. Didn't he? He wrecked it after he dropped Janine Taffy off at her home after a night at the shake shop.

"For the love of God..." Naruto groaned as another migraine struck and put both hands to his head. A few moments passed and the headache ebbed away, Naruto looked up to see the confused and wary girl scouts still aiming arrows at him. He grimaced and his hand went to rest on his partner's reloaded sidearm, which he had tucked in the back of his pants, and then dropped it to his side. He _really_ didn't want to kill a bunch of kids for no reason. (The first group didn't fall in that category; they killed his now flower-fied partner. They weren't innocent, PTA protesters be damned.)

"Sorry, girls, I've been having a _very_ rough night." Naruto returned his full attention to the apparent leader. "So, what'd you want to know about A...er, uh, the watch?"

"It's _my_ shield." The girl claimed. "I want it back."

"Fine, whatever." Naruto sighed and put a hand on the watch's latch. What was supposed to be an easy, if not elegant, removal became very, _very_ difficult. Naruto almost wanted to say the damn thing tightened around his wrist, which caused him to wince in pain. "Gah, what the fuck...?"

"C'mon, I can't sit around all night!" The teenager displayed her age groups' traditional impatience very well as she tried to rush the too-tired-of-this-shit-to-the-point-being-irritable-wasn't-worth-it blond man.

"I'm trying to get it off, alright? Just wait a goddamn second!" Naruto snapped with a glare that she returned tenfold. He grimaced and managed to slip two fingers under the strap, pulling at the watch in an effort to snap it off.

"Do you want me to do it?" Tiara-Girl asked a minute later. All effort to remove the watch halted and a thunderous glare was leveled on the impudent, impatient and frankly very _irritating_ girl.

"Listen, _brat_." Naruto growled as he towered over the teen, becoming unnaturally pleased when a flicker of something resembling fear danced in the younger girl's eyes. "I'm trying to get this off of my arm as best I can. For the record, I've had a really _shitty_ day. My partner, who was also my best friend, and I got in a wreck caused by a brain dead ass wipe that didn't know how to recognize a police siren. Then, after I wake up upside _down_ in _my_ wrecked car, I notice my best friend has two _horns_ sticking out of his head. _Then_ – and this is the _kicker_ so listen up buttercup, because it's important – _then_, a couple of punks _your_ age playing whatever Dungeons &amp; Dragons bullshit game you're all apparently into come round the corner of the street and _kill_ my best friend with a bunch of arrows just like you and your cheerleaders look like you're about to do to me, so I might've just committed homicide on a grand scale, but, what happened after _that_ bout of violence really, really, _really_ pushed me over the edge."

Naruto took a moment to take a deep breath. The girls, be this a dream or nightmare or end of the world shit storm, would probably call him crazy and run away once he finished his recap. To be honest, it wouldn't break Naruto's heart if they did.

"After I watched my friend's corpse turn into a _fucking flower_, guess what comes around the corner? A Mother. Fucking. _Cyclops_." Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Can you believe that shit!? A _fucking_ cyclops! With a goddamn _mace_ that looks like it came straight out of _The Lord of the Rings_! So _excuse_ me, your _majesty_, if I don't fucking _care_ whether or not you and your girlfriends are in a hurry. I'm doing the best I can. Don't like it?" Naruto leaned in and snarled. "Piss. Off."

The girl was taken aback at the utter _rage_ that wafted off of Naruto. Again, when he looked back, Naruto would feel terrible. He never lost his temper so easily like that, but when all of those stressors – combined with a possible total loss of sanity – hit an adult like that, rationality took the bench and lashing out became more possible. Perhaps if they'd met when he hadn't just seen his best friend die, killed his killers in a bout of rage, and was then attacked by something he thought to be a mythical creature, he wouldn't have snapped as he did. Then again, the girl's temper seemed to be just as bad as his.

She did, after all, give him a static-filled punch to the face in retaliation for his threat.

Oddly enough, the shock that went through Naruto's body after her strike felt as though it rejuvenated him. He stumbled back and blinked several times.

"...Holy shit that felt good." The sound of bowstrings going taut made him shake his head and look in the girls' direction again. "Are you-? I'm trying to give you your fucking watch back!"

"Whose side are you on!? Olympus' or the Titans?" The girl demanded. Naruto's eye twitched violently.

"Olympus...Titans...Girl, I'm a _fucking_ police officer of the NYPD. You know what that means?!" Naruto snapped. "I live in the _real_ world! Not Imaginationland!"

"Who were the kids you killed, what did they look like!?" The girl demanded. "Answer or die!"

"Girl, don't make me shoot you and your friends!" Naruto growled as he pulled his concealed weapon out and aimed at her.

"We'll fill you full of arrows before your finger will pull the–!"

"THAT IS _**ENOUGH**__!_" A massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking the ground between Naruto and the girl scouts. The impact made the two sides, or rather, the lone individual and the group of girls, shield their faces. When the debris' smoke cleared, a terrifyingly powerful man stood between them, wearing what looked like a Greek toga. His hair was the same shade of black as the tiara-wearing teenager's, and his eyes were like two orbs of electricity as he glared at the silver-wearing girls.

"Thalia Grace, you are Artemis' Lieutenant and a Hunter. Whatever gifts and treasures beforehand have been given up, as you've given your life to the Hunt. The shield is _not_ yours." The man announced. The girl, Thalia, looked ready to protest, but held her tongue. The man's attention drifted to the wary Naruto, who had redirected his aim from Thalia to the newcomer's head. The next three words got quite the reaction from Thalia. "It never was."

"...What?" Thalia stammered. "B-But, the Green Mansion-! The treasure Hal-!"

"Was meant for the right _hero_, but _he_...was preoccupied." The man interjected, his attention back on the girl that looked like she could be his daughter. (In hindsight, yeah, Naruto wanted to smack himself for not making the connection. Really. He'd dealt with enough strained family disputes to recognize a father-daughter conversation.) The man looked away, his attention far to the east. "I must go. This moment was granted to me by ..._Poseidon's_ surprise attack on Typhon. Take him to the Camp's Command Center, Thalia Grace."

"But Lady Artemis-!"

"_My_ authority as _King_ supersedes _hers_!" The man snapped, daring the girl to say otherwise. "Keep that in mind...Lieutenant of Artemis."

_...I feel like I'm missing an insane amount of backstory here..._ Naruto thought as he warily kept his eyes on the two before the man left just as he appeared, in a giant crack of lightning. A moment passed before Naruto slowly lowered his gun.

"So...Thalia, huh? You're a lieutenant?"

"Just shut up and follow us." Thalia spat as she rounded on her feet and stormed away, leading her gob smacked gaggle of girls towards the Empire State Building.

With nothing better to do, and filled with more questions than answers, Naruto did just that, all while his mind spun.

* * *

"Okay...So...Let me see if I've got this right." Naruto rubbed his head from where he sat within the Empire State Building's lobby. "For the past millennia, any advancement in the modern world, can be most likely attributed to the Olympians. They caused the World Wars, like they did Troy, and despite everyone thinking they were myths, they kept on goin', popping kids out left and right with mortals...and monsters are hidden by some Fog thing? Am I right so far?"

"It's called the Mist." The correction came from the camper who'd been assigned to bring him up to speed. An injured girl with grey eyes and blonde hair that had princess curls coming down from the side. She said her name was Annabeth Chase. She was a cute thing for a sixteen-year-old girl. Whoever she decided to date was bound to be one of the luckiest kids alive. Although, she did remind Naruto of someone...

* * *

"You come back alive, Captain Roger Stevenson," a grey eyed girl with bright red lipstick said. A smile crossed his face and a calloused hand lifted up to cup her cheek. She leaned into it and planted a gentle kiss on the inside of his palm. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

"Don't you worry about anything. Just save a dance for me, Maggie." He requested as a nearby train whistle blew. "I'll come back without a scratch. I got my dad's lucky watch, remember?"

"Okay...But not a scratch," Maggie said firmly. He laughed and gave her another kiss.

"I promise."

"Swear to god?"

"Maggie," he said softly. He pulled out a small velvet box, fiddled with it in his hand and then got down on his knee. Her eyes filled with tears, the happiest tears he'd ever seen before in his life. "Consider this the promise of a lifetime."

* * *

"Are you still awake, or has your consciousness finally given out?" Annabeth asked from where she typed away at a laptop, stirring Naruto from the vision.

"Yeah, yeah, j-just tired." Naruto rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands over his face. "So, for the past fifty years, there's been this ominous Doomsday Prophecy hanging over the world's head that they pretty much disregarded about a decade or so ago, and now their biggest baddy Chronic-"

"Kronos." Annabeth absentmindedly corrected.

"What. Ever." Naruto drawled uncaringly, mustering up the most annoyed glare he could at the half-distracted girl. So _what_ if he got the big baddy's name wrong? Weren't they trying to _defeat_ him? Soldiers practiced dehumanizing on the enemy for a reason. Naruto grimaced as his thoughts went back to the strange brief vision. Was he a soldier? No, he was a cop. Nathan Sparks, born...October Tenth...1921...Right? ...No, no, 1875...He was a centennial...Wasn't he?

"Hey!" Naruto looked up to meet Annabeth's eyes. "How old are you anyway?"

"...I don't even know anymore..." Naruto muttered, his eyes downcast.

"Well, you can't be too old. Thalia's around your age..."

"...Thalia's _fifteen_." Naruto drawled.

"It's complicated." Annabeth sighed. "There's too much to explain in too little time, but I have a theory. You're a son of Zeus, Thalia's brother, maybe a few months older-"

"Annabeth." Naruto cut in roughly, his eyes narrowed. "I'm just now accepting that Olympians are real. That my friend, who I trusted my life to for the past six years, was a satyr. A _goat_-_man_. That there is a illuminati level _war_ going on _right now_, being fought by high school kids and younger, while the gods fight off one of the strongest entities that has apparently walked this Earth _once_ before. I'm only going to warn you once. Leave my parentage out of it."

"Face the facts, Mr. Sparks, you took Thalia's punch like it was nothing! Her shield, _your_ shield, came when you called it!" Annabeth protested. "Zeus _himself_ intervened before you two started to fight! You're a son of-!"

"I said _don't_!" Naruto snapped as he rose to his feet and stormed away from the girl. He could only handle so much. It was _too_ much. Monsters and gods, yeah, he could wrap his head around it. He liked science fiction and fantasy shit, not enough to LARP or whatever, but enough to escape the dull drab and the repetitive reality that surrounded him with movies and books.

Being the son of a god, of _the_ King of Gods, of Zeus?

No.

That was the last goddamn (gods be damned, if he really had to piss someone off) straw.

Naruto was not going to hear it. If he was the son of Zeus, why didn't he know about this stuff until today? Why didn't he have to run away from his parents, or grow up looking over his shoulder for monsters? Or worry about taking cruise lines? Or worry about riding subways?

Why did Naruto have such vivid visions of lives that ended so quickly? His eyes squeezed shut as he thought over his constant dreams, things he considered coincidences.

The Nameless Commander of the _Maelstrom_.

A Roman Gladiator – that one he considered influenced by watching _Gladiator_ one too many times.

Standing before an applauding crowd at the side of who appeared to be William Shakespeare.

Fighting alongside George Washington during the French-Canadian War and taking a bullet for him.

Fighting with the British forces in the trenches against the Germans.

The suddenly engaged Capt. Roger Stevenson, preparing to head over to the Beaches of Normandy, where he'd never return.

A 50's greaser punk that took one thrill ride too many.

The cross-country hippie that met his end trying to talk down a nut-bag named Manson.

Then there was Nathanial Sparks. Was he even _real_? Did it matter that Nathanial Sparks had made it through the police academy after his upbringing in the streets of New York?

Naruto – who'd decided that going by a fictional character's name was possibly the most astute part of his identity at the moment – didn't know if he was even a real person.

How could he be a demigod on top of all that?

"MINOTAUR!"

The scream brought Naruto's attention back to the world around him. He peered through the windows of the hallway. A massive force, a mighty battalion of monsters and demigods, approached the frontlines. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

_Demigod or not. _Naruto thought as he balled his hands into white-knuckled fists. _I'm from New York City. I'm a police detective of the NYPD. This is _my_ home, and I'll be damned before I let it fall to some bigoted old man._

If there was one thing Sony got right with the first _Spider-Man_ movie, it was one solitary line, forgettable to all, but integrated itself in Naruto's very soul. As he stormed out of the Empire State Building's front doors, that line repeated in his head and the feeling it brought bloomed like wildfire throughout his body.

He gave a sharp whistle as he pushed his way to the front, drawing the attention of the lead monster, an ugly bastard with the head of a bull atop a Mr. Universe-worthy body. It bellowed at the demigods, making them waver. The line from the movie was just as clear to him now as it was when he first heard it.

Naruto looked over the opposing force. Outnumbered ten to one with many nasty beasts that were easily worth thrice that. Naruto grinned and looked at the kids, all in their teens or younger, that stood with him.

"C'mon, kids…Let me hear you shout it loud n' proud!" He called to the rest of the defense line. "You're the sons and daughters of Olympus!"

A roar of agreement met his cry.

"The Heroes who will defend Manhattan and its people from the Titans!"

Another cheer came at him.

"Then let's show these punks who they're messing with!" Naruto cried out. He faced the enemies once more, not in the slightest bothered with how easily he took command and rallied the troops. The blond detective held his arms out as he stood in front of the line. "Welcome to the Big Apple, boys and girls! Newsflash for you: If you mess with one of us, you mess with _all_ of us!"

"ATTACK!" A lone demigod on the opposing side of the street roared, and the enemy force charged forward.

"AEGIS!" Naruto felt and heard his watch expand into the frightening replica of the famous shield of Zeus and Athena, the weight that came with it had vanished. He lifted his shield up and met the charge with his own, his eyes peered over the rim, locked with the snarling and snorting red-eyes of the Minotaur. The monster's horns gleamed and its head lowered.

Naruto kept his shield up and pulled himself in. He felt a pull in his chest, a tightening warmth that accompanied his rallying speech's pride. Naruto focused on it, unaware of his eyes gaining the slightest of sparks. He was going to protect his home. He was going to get his answers. He was _not_ going to fail.

The Minotaur pulled ahead of his attack brigade. It was more bull than man at the moment. It was going to skewer the blond fighter ahead of him with ease. It feared nothing, not even Medusa's image, and wanted only to slaughter the Gods' for the wrongs they did to his family. This fool wanted to be in his way, then so be it. He would fail, just as every other hero eventually had. And then he'd find that _boy_, the one that mocked him with his own horn!

First things first, though.

The two lead forces collided with a loud boom…

…And the Minotaur flew _back_.

The massive monster bowled down a good dozen or so demigods, no less than _three_ of the seven Cyclopes, and, for good measure, landed in a deep groove. The charging force stopped and stared at the opposing figure, this one man, who looked as though he'd been through the pits of Tartarus and back.

The Minotaur got back to its feet and bellowed again. It charged once more, blinded with rage and hatred. Running on instincts. It would have its kill, even if its own side had to suffer some losses. And suffer losses they did, for those who did not get out of Pasiphae's Son's way, didn't live long enough to regret it.

"Get _out_ of _my_ city!" Naruto snarled at the beast as he reared his shield-bearing arm back and then let it fly forward. The edge of his shield split the Minotaur's horns and skull, and the force of the strike, well…it wasn't every day that one saw a tornado rip something to shreds from the inside out.

The two colliding sides stopped and the attackers stared, as did their opponents, with mouths agape in awe. The shredded remains of the Minotaur slowly dissolved around the blond, who remained still with his arm outstretched. He stood upright and let his arm fall to his side. Crackling blue eyes turned to the nearest opposing demigod's, their gazes locked, and the young fighter began to tremble to the point that the armor strapped to their body rattled.

"Run." Naruto advised softly, his voice carried over the dead silence that engulfed the battlefield. He wanted no more blood on his hands than he already had. Answers to the endless questions were kept from him all for this _pointless_ battle. His own _identity_ was lost, all but a name and emotions. He was a man without anything to lose and everything to gain. And gods help those who _dared_ to stand in his way.

The forces of Kronos _listened_ to his plea, much to the surprise of the Olympians' forces.

Impressively, so, they ran. No, they _fled_. The fear spread by this unknown, this _man_ who'd suddenly appeared in Olympus' forces, was enough to turn even the most stubborn of the opposing Demigods around. It was as if they knew what he would do to them. Or perhaps, it was _because_ they _didn't_ know what he would do that made the Demigods run.

Naruto didn't care for their reasons, not really. He was in the thick of it now. He kept his gaze on the retreating forces' backs, the crackle in his eye slowly dimmed away to reveal the hard electric blues. His questions would wait, he was duty-bound, sworn as an officer of the New York Police Department, to uphold the peace and keep the law.

That's exactly what he would do as he went to war.

* * *

**AN: So yeah. How about **_**that**_** for a comeback? Cheese-y near the end, but...DAMN I love that line from Rami's **_**Spider-Man**_**. Ugh, God, it's up there in my top ten best background character moments.**

**Maybe I'll write another follow-up to this...I still have the damned Demeter one to work on and the follow up to **_**Born From Fire**_**...and wrap up the beloved **_**Fearless**_** entries.**

**In the meantime...**

**REVIEW**


	14. Born From Fire: A Minor's Problem

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, I might not be on this site.**

**Born From Fire: A Minor's Problem**

* * *

Deep beneath the surface of the ocean, far under the sea, hidden from man's current submerging capabilities, was a marvelous palace. The construct that consisted of a beautiful mix of coral, sea stone and abalone shell was where the God of the Seas made his home. From his coral throne and with a subdued smile on his face, Poseidon watched the highest members of his court mingle.

It'd been six months since the Lightning Thief had been ousted and his half-blood had been cleared of all charges. Six months since the last Olympian Council meeting, and now they were coming up on the annual Winter Solstice meeting. The one meeting where Poseidon would have to suffer _both_ his brother's annoying gripes and boasts, though the one saving grace was that they had to suffer his as well. None of them were ever _thrilled_ around this time of the year, Hades especially, considering it interrupted his time with his wife.

_Then again, he did ask for it when he kidnapped and tricked her. At least that worked out in his favor after a century or so,_ Poseidon thought. The tensions between the Big Three were high, especially with the troubling warning Percy Jackson had given. Though Zeus chose to – begrudgingly understandably – ignore it and felt justified when Hermes brought word that Hades confirmed _He_ remained in his hole, Poseidon didn't doubt his son's words. A nagging worry poked at the proverbial back of the King of the Ocean's head, one that he could not ignore without distraction.

That distraction came in the sudden arrival of a six-foot tall blond man clad in a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt that clung to his chest, and loose jeans that fell over waraji sandals. With a head of unkempt golden hair and a neatly trimmed beard that resembled his own, Poseidon deduced who it was almost instantly. That and the blazing fiery eyes were sort of a dead giveaway as to who it was.

"Wow, and I thought Olympus looked amazing in the right light. This is a pretty swanky set up, Uncle Side'n," Naruto said as he looked around his uncle's palace. Several bronze and golden weapons were pointed at the neck of the blond by the guards and he blinked. "Uhh...Is this a bad time?"

A laugh threatened to escape the Sea God's mouth, one that twinkled in his eyes, as he held his hand up to call his guards from their stance.

"Naruto, you really need to announce yourself before you arrive." Poseidon drawled. The young god reached up and scratched the back of his head while he laughed sheepishly.

"I, uh, was in a bit of a hurry," The younger god admitted. "Sorry, Uncle."

"Uncle?!" The green skinned, two-tailed merman rushed over to tower over the blond. "You Olympians! Arrogant and disrespectful as always, you will refer to my father with his proper title."

"...Which one?" Naruto refuted before Poseidon could say anything to quell his heir's fury. The young god folded his arms over his chest and grinned. "There's Earthshaker, which, not gonna lie, is really, really nifty. Unless, that is, you're in California. The Stormbringer sounds like – And to be clear, I mean no offense here – a very stupid name for a fictional sword or one of Apollo's bad spy movies. There's the godly titles, but ..._Damn_ that's a lot to recite every time I want to get his attention. And, while I'm immortal, I really don't want to waste that much time."

"...Are you mocking me, Olympian?" Triton asked, with his upper lip curled back in a sneer. Naruto held his hands up.

"Wha-? No, Triton! I'm merely pointing out that I mean nothing but respect when I call the God of the Seas, Uncle Side'n."

"You will address him as Lord-!"

"Triton, enough." Poseidon ordered as he rose from his throne and made his way over to the blond, taking on his more casual mortal appearance as he did. Poseidon held his arms out and clapped them onto Naruto's shoulders as he smiled at his nephew. "Welcome, Naruto! I do apologize for Triton's behavior and the actions of my guards, but they act as they will."

"Bah, they're just doing their jobs, as protectors and as your son respectively." Naruto waved the apology off. He looked back at his cousin, who continued to tower over him, and grinned. "No hard feelings, Triton?"

"...No. No hard feelings, Olympian." The God of the Navy nodded curtly. He turned and left the two gods to rejoin the slowly resuming festivities. Naruto pouted at his cousin's retreating back.

"I'd say you've got to do something about that stick stuck up his ass, but...it'd be hard to get to with the fish legs, you know?"

Poseidon laughed at the backhanded insult and turned to lead Naruto from the party to the thrones.

"He's dedicated to his duties, I will give him that, and he is fiercely loyal. A trait not often found in his generation. However, given the rift between my brothers and I, especially after last summer, I hope you can understand his distrust for Olympians," Poseidon said as he returned to his throne.

"Like I said, no hard feelings." Naruto shrugged. He turned and smiled at the beautiful woman seated beside Poseidon. "Hi, Auntie Ampy!"

"Nephew." Amphitrite greeted, a small gentle smile on her face. Like his two other aunts, Amphitrite adored Naruto and often showed it by spoiling him whenever Hestia would venture out to visit her sister-in-law. The Nereid had taken to Naruto well before they'd even met, considering his name related to her and her husband's domain. "And what brings you to our kingdom in such a hurry?"

"Wearing the Camp's shirt, too." Poseidon hummed. He arched a brow. "Have you taken Dionysus' offer, then?"

"What offer?" Naruto asked with a small smile on his face as he willed a simple chair into existence while he sat to the side of the Oceans' King and Queen. "He just asked me to hang out with him some more. By proxy, I'm hanging out at camp."

While he nodded, Poseidon silently praised his nephew's politically neutral answer. At a regular meeting, Dionysus _had_ offered to give Naruto an active position amongst the demigods of Olympus, but Zeus quickly snuffed the offer out and reminded Dionysus that such duties were his to 'suffer' as punishment. Clearly, the forcibly sober God of Wine and the diplomatically gifted God of Peace found ways around that.

"And how is the camp?" Amphitrite asked, neutral as the camp now hosted her husband's demigod. She was more forgiving than Hera and Persephone, but the betrayal still hurt.

"The camp is in need of a serious upgrade."

Poseidon was caught off guard by the comment and looked at his nephew's pensive face. Amphitrite merely raised a brow and one of her crab-claw horns clacked.

"How so?" The King of Atlantis asked.

"Hermes' cabin is overflowing with demigods, both his and not. The floors need replacing and the bunks themselves are half a decade from breaking." Naruto muttered. He rubbed his face. "Were it not for the education requirements that 'Ena's enforced in America, I'd think it's safe to say that the cabin would've been rebuilt at least _twice_ by now."

Poseidon quirked a small smirk at the childish nickname Naruto used to refer to his least favored niece. The nickname embarrassed her so much that the Boy of Fire was forbidden to use the term on Olympus and in front of most Olympians. Ares and Poseidon were the only two willing to risk Athena's wrath at allowing the "terribly inappropriate _slaughter_" of her name.

"So Hermes' Cabin is all that ails the camp? That is rather mild than previous threats," Amphitrite said, snapping her husband from the thoughts of his rival's humiliation. She rolled her eyes when he visibly blinked and refocused. He was too easy to read sometimes.

"I wish that were it, but as a deity of the family and home, I'm aware of just how many demigods are out there right now," Naruto said tiredly. He rubbed his face with his hand. "And that's _not_ counting the Minor Gods' young."

"...Is this the proper place to be speaking of such worries?" Poseidon asked. He glanced around at the few minor gods that resided in his court. Naruto gave his uncle a weak smile.

"Your company is the only place I can freely complain and know I'll be heard, Uncle Side'n," he said. The young god flopped back in his chair and let his head hang over the back as he groaned. "Lord Zeus and Aunt Hera can't be bothered with the woe and worries of a young Minor God like myself, even if it's one of my domains that I feel is threatened. Aunty Demeter's usually with Persephone or off preparing for the harvest, of either a mortal that took her fancy or of the grains in the coming spring. Uncle Hades...Yeah, no. That'd be stupid."

Poseidon and Amphitrite nodded in understanding. Hades' duties, next to Hermes', were arguably the most time consuming of any Olympian's, and to bring something he could do _nothing_ about to his attention would start him on a tirade that likely wouldn't end unless Persephone interrupted him, a calamity occurred, or you died of old age.

"My beloved cousins have their own egos or duties that keep them away, or I'd see to them. Aphrodite's begun to give me weird looks and giggle a lot, so, yeah, I'm keeping well away from _that_." Naruto shifted in his chair while the King and Queen smiled at him. "And you know how Mom gets whenever we bring a problem to her."

"All advice," Amphitrite said with a smile.

"No action," Poseidon said with a small laugh. "Blessed be her patience and lent ears, though, Nephew. It's a rarity from Gods today."

"I know, I know...still, it's my problem so _I_ have to solve it," Naruto said, sighing. He lifted his head back up and propped it up by his fist. "Only problem is, I can't solve it without bringing it to an Olympian, since the camp is technically yours."

"Technically?" Poseidon asked, lifting a brow.

"The camps are the demigods', first and foremost," Naruto said firmly with his arms crossed. "They're the ones who work their asses-ow!"

"Language." Amphitrite scolded, her trident disappearing as fast as she willed it to her hands.

"Oh, come on! Not you, too!" Naruto groaned. "Isn't there a saving grace for sailor mouths here?"

"Yes, but you're not a sailor." Poseidon pointed out with a wry smile.

"Not funny, Uncle." The younger god muttered. He crossed his arms and sat back. "But anyway, _aside_ from the spacing issues at Camp...there's also..." Naruto shuddered. "_Teenage girls_."

"And that's a problem?" Amphitrite asked, a brow arched. "Naruto, your preference will not cause us to change our view on you."

"My wha-No! I'm totally straight, I mean, I have nothing against same-sex tastes or well, some of those interesting other types' fans we've got running around our pantheon. Let me clarify," Naruto said as he sat up and turned in his seat to face his aunt and uncle. "I've had to deal with Aphrodite _and_ Apollo's teenage girls for the past month."

"Yes, because those are oh so dangerous to the Boy of Fire." The Queen of the Oceans teased her pouting nephew.

"Auntie Ampy, you're supposed to be on my side here!" he whined, causing the King and Queen of the Seas to laugh. He grabbed his head. "I've done everything I could to get them to stop following me around the camp! I've gone middle-aged, I shaved _off_ my eyebrows, and then I grew _out_ my eyebrows! I wore a freaking forest green unitard! I wore mismatching clothes! I added warts, buck teeth, gaping teeth, missing teeth, piercings – side note, I do not recommend facial piercings because magnets are a _thing_ – and I've even gone _Gabe_ on them!"

"...Oh, Naruto, you _didn't_." Poseidon grimaced. Taking on _that_ abomination of a mortal's form was something the god didn't even wish on his _Father_.

Though should something happen and they weren't able to kill the Bastard, then Poseidon now had a good idea of what he wanted to do.

"Oh, I _did_! And they still kept sidling up to me and-and-and flirting with me!" Naruto groaned into his hands. "I appreciate the attention, but I have way too many mortal memories involving creepy ass _pedophiles_!"

"Well, these _are_ the children of Apollo and Aphrodite we're talking about," Amphitrite said. A small smile came to her lips. "Perhaps they just know when a good looking god is nearby and believe he is playing hard to get."

"Auntie Ampy!" Naruto complained. "I'm older than their grandfather's _grandfather's_ grandfather! Do you _not_ see a problem with that? Or at least why I, as a former mortal, would _have_ a problem with that?"

"Naruto, you're the only god I know of that hasn't gone looking for someone to spend time with outside of another immortal. Not a demigod, a mortal or even a nymph! At this rate you'll have to either take an oath like your mother has or a wife will be picked for you." Amphitrite informed her now groaning nephew. She gained a smile. "However, if you wish to do the latter, I'm sure some of my sisters will be willing."

"With that option on the table, if you manage to choose the former, I will question the legitimacy of your claim to heterosexuality," Poseidon said in jest.

Naruto pouted at them. "Glad to see you find my problems so amusing, Uncle."

"There is a third option," Poseidon said. He smiled slightly when his nephew's attention turned fully towards him. "You could tell Eros or Aphrodite about your troubled love life. Better yet, you could ask your mother for advice on what you should do."

"Yeah, no." Naruto deadpanned. "I like being able to leave my bedroom, let alone Olympus, whenever I want, thanks."

The God of the Seas' laughter shook the room.

* * *

Naruto recounted his discussion with his aunt and uncle to Dionysus and Chiron the next day during the mid-morning card game.

"Well, I can't say I don't see where Poseidon and Amphitrite are coming from," Dionysus said as he drew a card from the deck. "While I understand your unease with fathoming a coupling with any of these mongrels running around, I daresay, Cousin, that you are the epitome of a Black Sheep. You've not many claims to fame, and the few who you did teach are so famous that even we Olympians forget the part you played in their lives. At this rate, you're likely to end up in the same boat as Helios and Selene if you're not careful."

"Mr. D!" Chiron sent a look of grave disapproval to the heavyset god. Dionysus discarded and gave the centaur a disinterested stare.

"I'm merely warning him, Chiron, there's no need to shout."

Naruto shook his head at his cousin's backhanded warning and gave the trainer of heroes a grateful smile. He understood Dionysus' attitude and demeanor, had suffered alongside Olympus whenever Dionysus had gone sober for too long and lacked the company of his wife, Ariadne.

_Hm, surprised he hasn't invoked a visitor's day to bring her here and introduce her to the twins,_ Naruto thought as he took his card. Ariadne was like Amphitrite when it came to their husbands' half-bloods, treating them with indifference and/or pleasant politeness. It was why Ariadne was one of his favorite cousins.

That, and she made the greatest hangover cure that she refused to share with the rest of the Gods.

"If I may, Lord Naruto?" Chiron interjected with a questioning glance.

"Chiron, c'mon, just Naruto." Naruto grinned at the centaur. "You more than anyone has more right to refer to us without titles."

"Don't give him any ideas," Dionysus said dryly before he took a sip of his diet coke.

"While I thank you for the offer, Lord Naruto, I think I shall continue to play it safe as it were," Chiron said, a wry smile on his face that made the Boy of Fire laugh. He waited until Naruto discarded and then spoke as he took his turn. "I do believe your past life has a large influence on this decision, so why not seek out others who've also been mortal turned gods for advice?"

"I considered that, but then I remembered that most of these mortals were men from Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome, depending on what they're doing at the time," Naruto said.

"Does that matter?" Dionysus asked.

"You'll be shocked to learn this, Dionysus, but mortal women are just as keen as being cheated on as Goddesses are," Naruto deadpanned.

"No, really?" Dionysus drawled as he leaned forward on his arm to give his younger cousin a leveled glare. "I must've missed that while I was drunk off my gourd."

"I didn't mean any offense, Dionysus. You know that." Naruto frowned at his temperamental cousin. "The men of Ancient Greece and of Ancient Rome were not the most faithful in body, to say the least. In _my_ first go, my home had made heavy laws against such acts, so you could say I'm culturally programmed to stay monogamous."

"...I give you three years before you start to Fade. Four tops."

"Mr. D!" Chiron slammed his cards down and glared at the god while Naruto let out a small laugh.

"Oh come now, I was _joking_!" Dionysus tossed his cards down and snapped his fingers. The cards became enchanted and began to shuffle, allowing the god to give his full attention to Naruto. "Cousin, you know I jest crudely."

"I know," Naruto said with a nod and a small smile. He looked at Chiron. "Really, Chiron, thank you for your defense, but Dionysus and I bare no ill will toward each other. Save for his marriage to Ariadne."

"Interested in another's wife! There's hope for you yet, Naruto," Dionysus said with a small smirk. His eyes flashed dangerously. "Be warned, I've been called protective of her."

"Alas, even if that weren't true, I know her heart belongs only to you. The poor thing," Naruto said with a hand draped across his head. Dionysus groaned in annoyance as the cards began to deal out.

"You've been spending time with Apollo again, haven't you? How can you tolerate it?" The god of wine asked. Naruto shrugged and smiled.

"We click."

"Really, then perhaps you and he-?" Chiron began.

"I am not interested in Apollo or any other male in that way. ...Although admittedly, Apollo does make for a _very_ hot chick when he decides to play that role," Naruto said with a tilted head. He then shook those thoughts away. "However, I know _his_ true form and that is something I will never be able to open myself to. Blame childhood scars."

"I don't recall anything occurring between you and Apollo," Dionysus said thoughtfully.

"Wrong childhood." Naruto deadpanned. Dionysus' eyebrow arched up and Chiron leaned forward. Naruto looked between the two with a stony face. "...You guys are starved for gossip, I swear."

"With so little time able to be spent on Olympus, I've not much I can do but listen to these brats' complaints or honor another annual death with a small feast of mourning." Dionysus pointed out.

"If you tried _really_ hard, I'm sure one of these 'brats', aside from your own, will grow on you," Naruto said pointedly. Dionysus scoffed and drew a card before he sipped from his can. Naruto shook his head and laid his hand onto the table, faces up. "A fun game, but I win again, Dionysus."

"What?" Dionysus looked at the cards and then scowled. He turned to Chiron with annoyance written on his face. "You were supposed to beat _him_ this time."

"I believe that Eirene is not the only one who blesses Lord Naruto behind his back," Chiron said with a sly smile to the blond immortal, who groaned at the implications.

"Chiron, you're as bad as Horkos," Naruto sighed. "He's suggested something similar more than once whenever we hang out. Though that's been rare, I think he's having difficulties at New Ro-"

"Lord Naruto, please!" Chiron interjected.

"Ah, right. I forgot about that." Naruto grimaced. The decree to separate the camps and keep them ignorant of each other was not one he agreed with, but it hadn't turned into a problem. Yet. The thought of ignorance between the camps made a great unease fill in the young god's stomach. To forgo musing his distaste for the decision, the blond stood up and stretched, his arms rising above his head. "This has been fun, Dionysus, but I think it's time I went over to the Forges to keep Hephaestus' kids to their schedule."

"Oh, very well. It's time for my nap anyway," Dionysus said with a sigh. He sent a smirk to his cousin's back as he departed from the Big House. "Oh, and Naruto, do try to keep from breaking any more hearts! Aphrodite might try to claim you for herself if you keep it up!"

The God of Wine laughed when his cousin tripped mid-step and fell to the floor.

* * *

"Mahatama turned to me, annoyance written on his face, and asked, 'Well, oh wise one, I got her to say yes. Now what do I do?' So I looked him dead in the eye, put a hand on his shoulder and said, 'That, my friend, is something that you'll have to figure out on your own.' He punched me in the face and stormed off grumbling!" Naruto said to the satyrs that gathered where he sat in the pavilion. He was in the midst of telling them about the time that his student asked the woman who'd one day be his wife for a night out. The nature spirits let out bleats of laughter while Naruto chuckled and took another sip of the soda he'd been offered. "Ah, may he be peaceful forever more in his death."

"E-Excuse me, Lord Naruto?" A gentle, withdrawn voice drew Naruto's attention from his gathered companions. Naruto gave a small smile to the young demigoddess that approached him. The recently claimed Miranda Gardiner stared up at him with dark forest colored eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Miranda, I was here to witness Aunt Demeter claim you. We're family. You don't have to call me 'Lord', little cousin." Naruto chuckled as he gently ruffled the ten-year-old's hair. The displeased pout on her face reflected the one his aunt often gave him whenever she suggested he stop eating so much ramen and he refused. Naruto dismissed the satyrs and turned to give the girl his full attention...well as much to appear that he gave his full attention. No mortal could handle the intensity of a god's _full_ attention; it put too much strain on their minds. Even Aeolus had difficulties with it sometimes.

"Now what did you need?" He asked with a small smile.

Miranda looked up at him and then shyly looked away. She fiddled with her hands and asked under her breath five words that a lesser god would've smote her for. However, though Naruto wasn't a lesser god, he was still taken off guard by the question.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Had he been mortal, Naruto would've choked on his tongue right there. So taken aback by the inquiry to his love life – he, a _god_, asked by a ten-year-old _mortal_ girl if he was dating! Apollo was going to have a field day with this for sure if he ever found out about it. Flustered and faltering with his words, Naruto's silver tongue – honed and trained by the master that was Hermes – promptly turned to lead as two wide green eyes stared up into his (chosen) ocean blues.

"I...uh...Miranda, w-why would you ask me that?" Here Naruto was almost _afraid_ of the answer. If she was asking out of curiosity alone, then he would've looked even more foolish than he already did. He could live with that, if only suffering at the jabs from his cousins from then on about his single status. If she was asking for herself, then he'd be in that awkward predicament of turning the young girl down, and it was an unwritten rule that you did not upset a daughter of Demeter.

Grain-Zilla was _very_ protective of her babies.

"Because everyone keeps saying you're in love with someone!" The exasperation in the demigoddess' tone threw Naruto for another loop. "Gertrude thinks you're 'woefully heartbroken' over _Athena's_ oath, Danielle thinks you're hung up on _Aphrodite_ like everyone else, Bridgette says that she's wrong and you're longing for _Artemis_, but Janie thinks that you're waiting for the right demigod to come along because you're soul-crossed lover hasn't been born yet since you're the youngest god in existence! Ronnie said it was something 'gross' and told me to ask you if you like my mom? Are you going to date my mom? Does that mean I'll be your daughter _and_ your cousin? Is that even legal?!"

_...Nope. _Naruto stood up and walked away. Well, walked was being generous. He may have appeared to have walked, but he was gone long before the young mortal's mind could process his absence. _Nope. Whole lotto nope. So much nope, they can't even fathom how much nope will be there for the next generation's nope. That's just nope. Nope. Nope, nope-ity, nope._

The demigods, and Dionysus, would be sad to hear the next day that Naruto would be departing from Camp until summer came so that he could properly train his apprentice.

Though, _that_ declaration started a whole new mess of rumors.

* * *

"Stop laughing, it isn't funny!" His hair ablaze and his cheeks filled with ichor, Naruto glared daggers at his so-called 'best friend'. Despite his order, Horkos continued to laugh, doubled over at the gut with his arms around his sides. The only saving grace for Naruto was that the zoo they decided to meet at was filled to the brim with mortals who could care less about one immortal's problems.

Initially, Naruto approached his friend in his Roman guise. Orcus was a stern, rule-abiding bastard, and had not liked to interact with Naruto initially because he was fully Greek and lacked a Roman persona as of yet. To Naruto, it would be like talking to Sasuke again. In his experience, a cold, mostly-detached man that cared little about his personal problems made for an excellent ear to talk off.

Too bad for him that the Minor Gods' personalities were only so much different that it was easy for them to switch back to a Greek form. Something that Orcus did as soon as Naruto finished his tale.

"She–She actually asked you–Wow!" Horkos, in the guise of a handsome dark-skinned man that could've been mistaken for an attorney based on the suit he wore, righted himself and wiped a tear from his eye. "That-That is honestly the greatest thing I've ever heard in the last _thousand_ years!"

"Argh! _Why_ are we friends?!" Naruto groaned. The member of the House of Hades let out another chuckle and the Minor Olympian God glowered at him. "You done?"

"Yeah," Horkos said, a smile on his face as he straightened his tie. "Yeah, I'm done."

"Good."

"...She really asked-?"

"And I thought that you would be able to help me? What the hell is wrong with me?" Naruto began to walk away, nearly at his breaking point. He ran his hands through his hair to snuff out the flames that threatened to spread, and then stuffed his hands into his black windbreaker's pockets.

"Naruto, wait! I'm sorry. You have to understand, though," Horkos said as he caught up to the blond. He put a hand on the younger god's shoulder. "You're a black sheep-"

"Yeah, yeah, Dionysus said the same thing." Naruto grumbled. His grumpy demeanor dropped as he walked by the lion exhibit. The sight of children and parents gathered around Rhea's symbolic animal always brought a smile to the God of the Hearth's face. He thought they were cool, too.

"You have to _do_ something," Horkos continued. He let his hand drop and smiled at the awed whispers of children while watching the small pride laze about. "Look at those creatures, each of them knows they have to procreate. And I'm not talking about the lions."

"Dude." Naruto deadpanned.

"They do, Naruto. All of life, _all_, immortal or not, has a need to procreate, to ensure they are remembered, by genetics, essence or legend. You are not exempt from this, especially given your..._unique_ history."

Naruto shifted where he stood. His first life was a touchy subject, something the Olympians felt uncomfortable addressing – even Ares, who took whatever potshots he could whenever he could just to start a fight, didn't go near the topic like there was a nuclear minefield around it! They were curious, of that there was no doubt, but since his time existed before their rise, they were _not_ the gods of his era. It was a heavy blow to their egos, not one they'd accepted as of yet.

"Then what do you suggest?" Naruto's query had more bite to it than he would want to admit.

"Go get laid."

"Oh, how very _Greek_!"

"I'm not saying you need to have a child-!"

"A God has sex – boom, child! Without fail! There are no miscarriages! If I'm going to have a kid, I'm going to _raise_ that kid!"

"Noble, but-"

"There is no but! There is no excuse! I will _not_ do to a child what was done to me!" Naruto snapped. The zoo quieted and people stopped moving, frozen in time. Horkos stared, wide eyed and gob smacked, at the fire that was his friend's body.

"So you're just going to defy Ancient Law? Go against everything-?" The fiery being stepped towards Horkos and a burning finger pressed into his suit, eradicating the fabric at a touch.

"The Ancient Laws exist as an _excuse_! The ways of Ancient Greece are _gone_! Children are the future, Horkos, _not_ _us_! We are _archaic_! You are _examples_! You are _stories_ and _legends_!"

"Stop speaking so highly, Naruto! The Fates made you one of us-!"

"_Maybe they shouldn't have!_"

The Upper Air went still as the words echoed through the cosmos. Horkos' mouth moved, but no sound came. Naruto continued to burn, his fire turning brighter, the light going whiter.

"My people believed in Fate, some that it bound us to duty, and others that it was our duty to be bound to it. I didn't. If I was destined to suffer, to go through the childhood I had – hated, feared, and ignored – then my work after was for _nothing_! I am _not_ a tool of the Three Sisters, Horkos! I am not _their_ child!"

"Your mother-!"

"This is not about _her_!" Naruto roared, the ground melting beneath his feet.

"Hestia _chose_ to be barren! She _chose_ a life without children! Yet, she raised you all the same! A babe that came to her from her fire!" Horkos shouted back. "One who came from a time before civil-!"

"Say it!" Naruto cut in. His eyes burned. "Say it, Horkos! Say what I am! A _beast_! A barbarian! A foreigner! Those words are _compliments_ to the things I heard growing up!"

"You are no longer that mortal, Naruto-!" Horkos' head snapped to the side and he fell to a knee. His eyes were wide as his cheek stung and ichor spat out of his mouth.

"I will _always_ be that mortal," Naruto said, his knuckles white and sore. He let his hand fall to his side and his head dipped down. "You won't understand. None of you will _ever_ understand."

"You..." Horkos gasped at a flare of pain and his hand went to his face. "You struck me..."

"I did." Naruto turned and began to walk away. "Let them know, Horkos, let them know that The God of Peace threw the first punch, but the line was crossed a _long_ time ago."

Horkos decided that maybe his friend's problem was a bit more than having a repressed sexual appetite. He would let this altercation slide, just _once_, and wait for Naruto's apology before he sought his friend out again.

First, though, a trip to Asclepius' office for some help...and some advice.

* * *

"You _punched_ Horkos?"

The question was asked with a blatant incredulous tone. The query came from a scarred, yet handsome biker, who sat at a small table within a Starbucks with three other men. Two blazing eyes stared from behind black wraparound sunglasses at the youngest that accompanied him.

"Order and Chaos, yes! How many times do I have to repeat myself?" Naruto asked, scowling at his older cousin.

"_You_ punched _Horkos_?"

"Believe it or not, Ares, I _can_ punch people. Hell, I can kill people. I just don't like to," Naruto said, scowling. The God of War continued to stare at him, dumbstruck, and the silence – save for the surrounding conversations and music playing in the background – was starting to grate on the younger god's nerves.

"Wow," was all Ares said as he sat back in his seat, deep in thought.

"'Wow'? Our little cousin might have just kicked off World War Three and all you can say is 'wow'?" Hermes asked incredulously from his seat. He shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. "I'd have expected more from you."

"I'm admittedly a little disappointed, myself," Apollo said. He glanced at the other blond god. "Why did you punch him?"

"I had to kill a fly that landed on him – why do you _think_, Apollo?" Naruto asked. He crossed his arms and glared at the table. "He was pissing me off."

"You get _mad_, too?!"

"Ares, seriously, I'm starting to worry now," Hermes said, frowning. He turned his attention to his younger cousin. "Was he really pissing you off, or was it the situation?"

"Wait, there was a situation? What situation?" Apollo asked.

"Oh, right, you were flirting up the cashier during the story. Wait, how do _you_ not know what's going on?" Hermes asked. He looked outside and frowned. "Nope, no flying pigs. At least not yet, so that can't be why you missed it."

"Smartass. Ares?" Apollo asked, hoping for a clear answer.

"The spitfire here has been getting hit on by mortals and doesn't know how to fuck 'em, went to ask his jerkoff buddy for advice, got reminded of the 'no kids' law, and punched the jerkoff's lights out," Ares said. The other three stared at him and he shrugged. "What? Those were spitfire's words exactly."

"I'm sure they are. And without the Ares filter?" Apollo asked, looking at Naruto. The whiskered blond began to re-explain his problems with the demigoddesses and issues with having a demigod yet not being able to raise them, only getting halfway through before the God of the Sun interrupted again, this time more alarmed. "Wait, you still haven't gotten laid yet?! Dude! I only have a little over two years before that time is up! We have got to get you laid, now!"

"Time?" Hermes asked, but Apollo hopped out of the booth and began to get his flirt on with the nearest group of girls. Naruto let his head drop to the table with a thunk, groaning while his two other cousins eyed him.

"The Twins made a bet last year. After you got off without so much as a slap on the wrist for the Master Bolt theft," Naruto said to the smirking God of War.

"I dunno, losing to Percy Jackson, a demigod with only a week's worth of training, seems like a pretty good punishment," Hermes said. He smirked. "Especially after he used _that_ attack."

"You all swore on the Styx not to mention that bullshit attack!" Ares snarled, the cup of coffee in his hand crushed into oblivion.

"I didn't," Naruto said, grinning. "You forgot to _order_ my compliance."

"That's because he's afraid what the 'Seaspawn's master's Thousand Years of Death is like," Hermes said. He snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right! He already knows!"

"Stupid fucking misnamed attack – How was I supposed to know the punk would stick his sword in my ass?! Who even does that?!" Ares demanded, brooding over his humiliating defeat. Getting a small nick in his skin would be more bearable!

"If it makes you feel any better, Percy still scrubs Riptide every day," Naruto said. He smiled. "He's afraid you left a stain."

"Oh, I'll leave more than a stain on that little shit," Ares grumbled. He would throttle that brat's neck when he least expected it.

"Ares' embarrassment aside, what did our beloved Twins bet consist of exactly?" Hermes asked. He wanted to know if he could get in on the action. He was the God of Tricksters and Thieves, and gambling fell under those domains.

"For some reason, they were betting on my night life." Naruto admitted. Ares looked up from his brooding and Hermes blinked owlishly. The God of the Hearth nodded. "I know, right? From what I remember, Artemis was using me to insult Apollo, he didn't take it too well, and shockingly they argued over what was better: Being a 'prude' or a 'man-whore', I'll let you guess who got what role."

"So the Hunt-Cunt and the Sunspot bet on your sex life?" Ares asked. Naruto scowled at the god on Apollo's behalf. He actually thought Artemis' role was a necessary one and appreciated what she did for Nature. Could do without her Hunters' poor manners, though.

"Artemis bet that I would still be a Virgin God by the end of my first millennium, and Apollo bet I would not. If Artemis won, Apollo had to back off of his womanizing," Naruto said. The two gods nodded, it the standard reward for Artemis' victory in the Twins' gambles.

"And if Apollo won?" Hermes asked. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled something under his breath. "What was that?"

"She'd have axe mountain debt."

"Speak up, hotshot!" Ares growled. "Or I'll give you one of those stupid Thousand Years of Death!"

"Fine!" Naruto snapped. He crossed his arms and looked away. "She would have to ask me out on a date."

"...You're shitting me."

"He's not," Hermes said in awe.

"Holy fuck." Ares stared and then grinned. He knew someone who would _kill_ to get this information. He stood abruptly and walked to the door. "I'll catch you later. I got things to do."

"Ares! You better not tell Aphrodite!" Naruto shouted after his leaving cousin. He groaned when the god let out a cruel laugh. "Oh, that _so_ doesn't bode well."

"Well, look at the bright side," Hermes said. "You'll make an adorable Jackelope."

"Don't you have packages to deliver?" Naruto asked, snidely.

"Oh, no, little cousin. I have today off." Hermes laughed at the forlorn look on his cousin's face. "Now, what flavor of pellets do you prefer?"

Apollo ran back over to the table.

"Naruto! Great news! I might have just gotten an invite to an orgy, and they'll let me have a plus one!"

Naruto dropped his face into his hands while Hermes fell out of his seat laughing.

* * *

**AN: To be continued! Mwahahaha!**

**Oh yes, I'm working on sequels to these...and the Demeter one...But believe it or not, that one is the **_**hardest**_** to work with! Goddammit, Demeter! You are so difficult!**

**Anyway, you know what I want ya ta do!**

**REVIEW!**


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